Dr. King, Race and the Gospel

Forty-one years ago today the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
As the son of white middle class parents, I have never really had to deal with racial prejudice being exercised against me. As an activist, I've heard horror stories from men and women mistreated because of their ethnicity. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I can not stomach the antics, tactics and slogans of so many white Americans when it comes to the racial divide in America. I desperately want to connect people's lives to the good news of Jesus Christ, and how the Gospel changes the way you look at the people around you.
One of the books I've recently been reading, "Gracism: the Art of Inclusion" by David A. Anderson, has been helping me work through how, as a Christian, I respond to racism and the different tensions between ethnicities. He said something as an African-American that caught my attention.
"As much as I love the black church and at times miss it, there will be no black church in heaven. There will be one church and it will be multicultural. One Bride, not a harem, is what Jesus is coming back for"
Did you get that? This idea our culture has propagated, that all Christians should worship with only their ethnicity, is dead wrong. You will not find any single ethnicity church anywhere in the New Testament. Why? Because Christ came to save people of every ethnicity. We've got to remember that the universal community of faith is just that Universal. Lets not forget the millions of believers around the world who don't look like us.
As we think about the life and death of the Rev. King, it is my prayer that we would make our communities more like heaven will one day be.

A Gospel Confession for 2008

Or, why the description “The (2008) Confession of a materialistic, hypocritical, narcissistic, egotistical, proud, cynical, ignorant, lazy, apathetic, Pharisaic, rebellious, syncretistic, moralistic and addicted; sinner” doesn’t even begin to cover it.
In many ways, this year has been a painful year. I've been rejected by several women, I've been caught in sin, I've been almost kicked out of school, I’ve been dismissed as a musician and through it all I've proven myself a sinner over and over again. In many ways this year has taught me a lot about myself. I learned that I want a Godly wife, I learned that I'm capable of serious sin, I learned that I’m not the man I’m supposed to be, I even learned that I'm the most self-centered person I know.
As I contemplated this year and I relived the many painful moments of 2008, I began to see a cycle. I went through periods of great renewal, followed by painful crashes that left me feeling guilty, depressed and hopeless. I created alternative realities all around me, where I was the good-looking one, or where I was the talented one. As each cycle progressed, I saw my sin, the alternative realities I had created for myself, and I repented and turned toward a new path.
In many ways, this year has been a pendulum swing for me. I went from justifying myself through moralism, to taking journeys of “self discovery” in hopes of not needing to be justified . But no matter where I turned, my sin kept finding me out.
I tried making shortcuts for myself, and wound up in a meeting with the threat of being kicked out of school. I took a break from life for a semester, and ended up barely passing four classes. As I swung back and forth between the two poles of self justification, I kept seeing my own sin repeating itself. Through it all, I turned to many different forms of self-help, but I never turned to Christ.
As the most recent semester ended, I took some time to listen to some teaching by Tim Keller, out at Redeemer Church, NYC. His messages relating to Jesus and the gospel struck a chord in my life. The more I listened to Keller preach the gospel, the more I began to see myself in stories like the prodigal son. Which brings me back to that description of myself that doesn’t even begin to cover it. This year has taught me something invaluable. I’m a colossal screw-up. And before you tell me I’m “being too hard” on myself, I think it might be wise to point out that I would know.
But that’s not the point. Because as big a screw up as I am, there is a bigger solution to my life problems than anything I could ever attempt to do on my own. As Keller puts it, Jesus saves both self-righteous moralists, and self-discovering rebells, he died for both. And that means that screw-ups like me are given hope for the future. Because of Jesus, and what he did in dying for my sin and rising from the dead to give me new life, I don’t have to worry about being a screw-up, because there is nothing I have to do to be loved. And that’s why this is a Gospel confession, because the Gospel is the only hope I have for the future.

A Response

http://www.callandresponse.com/



Its time to take some action.
Its not enough to simply say, "wow thats horrible".
Not if you're still gonna buy Nike shoes and Victoria's Secret Lingerie.
Action is required. If you watched the trailer or read the statistics, you have become morally responsible. Period.
Time to deal with it.

"Never forget, Justice is what Love looks Like in Public".

I Don't Always Understand

Some recent theological thinking has led me to this logical (and hopefully biblical) progression of thought.

Humanity is unwilling and unable to seek God. God's goodness is so great that we (as beings thoroughly corrupted by sin) can not bear to be near him, so we flee from his presence. Because all humans are fleeing from him, in order to save individuals, God has interrupted the flight of many, and has opened their eyes to the Gospel. When God interrupts our flight, he enables us the ability to exercise our free will and choose him. God delights in wooing us and knowing that if He reveals Himself to us then we won’t reject Him. Unlike the teaching of some, God actually offers the free choice of salvation, however, because he has enabled us to see him, and we were made in the Image of God, having seen the truth, we will always choose God. That is the awesomeness of our power and freewill. At first we can (and do) reject Him fully, yet we are able to (and do) receive Him if He reveals Himself to us. If we did not have freewill, we could not choose to accept Him and He would not need to reveal Himself to us through creation and Scripture.
And the Gospel is this; that God entered into human history, he grew up and inaugurated the kingdom of God by living a sinless life,and going to a Roman Cross in the city of Jerusalem. He died an excruciating death to atone with his blood for human sin. He accomplished the salvation of humans by substituting himself as a payment for the sin-debt we owed to our Holy God, he accomplished the redemption of all who would believe, and then he rose, securing our eternal home in Heaven.

Participation or Observation?

As Part of the Missional syncroblog with Jonathan at Missio Dei, here is my contribution to the question, Why am I Missional?

My Dad hates Golf. He has consistently refused to have anything to do with it since I was a child. Despite my Dad's influence, I like golf. I enjoy a round of 18, I even enjoy going to the range to iron out the kinks in my swing. But for the life of me, I can't watch golf on TV. I've tried. But I get bored. I realized during the Master's that the main reasons I enjoy golf have absolutely nothing to do with graphite clubs and little white balls. I like golf for three reasons.
One, I enjoy being outside, enjoying God's creation, and golf courses are beautiful. Two, I enjoy exercising. I like walking around with a bag over my shoulder, keeping myself healthy.
Third, and most importantly, I enjoy the fellowship of friends hanging out. The friendly competition and rivalry we share has led us to get to know each other beyond the surface. Some of my best friendships developed over time spent competing.

In a weird way I think that the Kingdom of God is like golf.
I think that the way in which we live our lives reflects the way we view the Kingdom and the church. Am I missional when I am merely observing someone else do something hard? Or does it mean that I am missional when I actively participate in the redemptive story?

To answer the question, "Why am I missional?" I think it is important to look at the Mission of God. For me, the simple answer to why I am missional is this; I want to live within the redemptive mission of God on Earth. That said, I think it is important to develop what God's mission looks like. [I addressed this in more depth in a previous post.]
This is my attempt to represent the larger points of God's Mission.

Creation:
God created everything, seeking to glorify himself.

Fall:
Adam and Eve disobeyed God.
God punished their disobedience by breaking off the relationship they had to Him.
Even as God is sending them out to live in the world, he promises that he will send a redeemer.

Redemption:
God made a promise to Abraham that his people would fill the earth.
God used his people to demonstrate his power, authority and love.
God sent down his only son Jesus Christ to earth.
Christ was born of the Virgin Mary inaugurated the Kingdom of God.
Christ demonstrated what it means to perfectly love others and love God.
Christ was crucified, paying the penalty of death for all those who believe in him.
He was buried, and then He rose from the dead, declaring victory over death and sin.
Christ ascended to Heaven, and reigns over all.
God left his Holy Spirit here, to convict and guide us as we seek to work for the redemption of the world.
Christ commissioned his people to be ministers of reconciliation of Christ to the world.

Re-Creation:
Christ will return at a time of his choosing and will fulfill the Kingdom of God in the new city of Jerusalem.

This is his mission, that God created us to glorify himself through our relationship with him. We rebelled against him and were damned. Evil entered the world and we were left with the promise of a redeemer.
God began redemption with Adam and Eve, continued it through all the history of Israel, and fulfilled his promise with the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Christ redeemed sinners at the cross, the Holy Spirit sustains us, and Christ will return to bring about the recreation of the perfect Natural order.

This is the Mission I am seeking to align my life with.
I don't want to be a spectator, watching from the sidelines as God does his work, I want to be in the action, swinging away.

The Other Syncrobloggers
--------------------------------------------------
Jeromy Johnson - Why I am Missional

Ben Wheatley - WWSBD

Bryan Riley - Jesus Was Missional

Jonathan Brink - Why I Am Missional

Blake Huggins - Why I Am Missional

Alan Knox - Demonstrating the Heart of God

A Consistent Ethic of Human Life

We fight for the lives of unborn children.
We fight for the rights of the sick to live.
We fight for the right to kill criminals.
We fight for the right to wage war.
We don't fight (very well) for the lives of the poor.
We don't fight (very well) for the lives of AIDS victims.
We don't fight (very well) for the lives of 28 Million Slaves in our world.

Do we have a consistent ethic of human life?

I hope to explore these issues more fully in the coming months,
and I would love any input you all would like to share.

Simplicity

What does it mean to live simply?
This is the question I have been pondering over the last several weeks.

Do I need to give more money to the poor?
Do I need to sell my computer, my car, my ipod?
Do I need to stop doing some of the things I've been doing?
Do I need to drink a latte every day?
How do I apply the commands of Jesus to my lifestyle?
How does the Gospel effect my lifestyle choices?

I plan to take some time off in the coming weeks to figure these questions and their answers out.
If you have any suggestions or encouragement in this area, please feel free to leave a comment.

A Messy Topic and a Missional Response

"Dating", "girlfriend", "courting", "relationship"...
There are fewer words that make a single guy nervous than when an older relative or friend brings up "the" topic. In the words of my dear aunt Barbara, "So, Tim, are you seeing anybody right now?" While I always answer the question the same way ("Not right now, Aunt Barb, but I have some possibilities") I often wonder what God has for me during this time.

These past few weeks, I have been in earnest prayer and petition before God as I have been prayerfully been considering a good friend of mine as someone with whom I would like to begin a relationship. As I have gotten to know this young woman and see her character, I have become increasingly convinced that God has pointed her out to me. As I understand her better, I respect her more and more. But more about her later.

In my browsing today, I ran across Josh Harris' Blog and was intrigued by an article linked off of that page. In it, the author was discussing what it means for a guy to model Christ for his girlfriend/fiancée . It hit me as I was reading that I should be seeking to model the love of Christ for my friend, even though we are not currently "dating". It hit me that if I am to serve her as her brother in Christ, then I must actively lay down my life, so to speak, for her. And not just for her, but for all my family of faith.

Missionally speaking, it is the job of those who claim Christ to lay down our lives for those around us. This may mean that we let others do things that we don't like, that we take time to care about their lives, that we give of our time to help others. Which brings me back to relationships.
As a single guy, I had given up trying to impress girls. I was sick and tired of doing things for girls and then having them think I was hitting on them. It was simply not worth the looks, comments and emails I got, to serve them. But in preparing my heart to enter into a relationship, I have begun to realize that if I am not serving my Christian family, how can I serve any girlfriend?

As I have been pondering these things, I have realized that I must seek something different in a relationship with this girl (or any other). Where before I was seeking my own pleasure and happiness in having someone else care about me, I am now going to try to focus on serving her and caring about her rather than trying to please myself. This will be difficult for me, as I am as selfish as every other human on the planet. I pray by God's grace to build the friendship I already have with this young woman into something more God-glorifying through our mutual service to each other, and our mutual love for the God who saves us.
Be in prayer for me, as I seek to live out the Love of God in my family of faith, and in my relationship with a particular young woman.

Living Like the the Word Says

[What does Missional living look like to me?]

As part of the Missional Syncroblog at Missio Dei I am taking some time to reflect on missional living and some of the mandates of the Word of God.

Missional – The intentional association of ones life with a particular passion or goal.

I first heard the term missional in the spring of 2005, when I picked up Mark Driscoll’s book Radical Reformission. As I read the book, I began to realize that my “Christian” life needed some rethinking. I followed up that book with Velvet Elvis, Blue Like Jazz, and then A Generous Orthodoxy. As I have sought to become a missional man, I have sought out the bible, and looked at the commands and example of Christ

Missional living looks like Acts 2:41-47.

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Christ followers are devoted to the fellowship of the body. We share each others lives, we love the Word, we live in the spirit. And perhaps most importantly, we see that the community of faith grows through the salvation of individuals.

Missional living looks like Matthew 28: 18-20.

18 And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Christ followers are devoted to helping people grow spiritually. We take seriously Christ’s command to make disciples. We seek to bring people into the community of Christ through the sharing of the word and call to repentance. We do this in the authority of Christ.

Missional living looks like Isaiah 58: 6-10.

Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am.
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.

Christ followers love people. We seek to make people’s lives better. We live our lives in service to others, and seek to demonstrate God’s love and justice in a hurting world. We desire to see the whole world reconciled to God and made right.

Missional living looks like II Corinthians 5:17-21

17 If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Christ-followers have been given a mission. We have been called to bring the reconciling message of Christ to a lost and hurting world. We all are “ambassadors of Christ” who demonstrate the sacrificial love of God to the world. We must demonstrate the love that sent the Son to die, to every person we meet. In the text, the call is not merely to evangelize, but to bring about the reconciliation of sinners to God. This means more than just a heart change, but also the reclamation of human dignity and personhood.

Let us live these truths as missionaries in our Culture.
Let us love others with the love of Christ, and demonstrate the change He has made in us.

Synchroblog Participants

Jonathan Brink - Meeting God Where He’s Already Working

Ben Wheatley - Are Things You Are Living For Worth It

Blake Huggins - What Does Missional Living Look Like

Alan Knox - Living in the love of God

Dave DeVries - The Missional Challenge

Bryan Riley - What Does Missional Living Look Like To Me

Global Prayer Gathering - Saturday Morning

I got the opportunity to spend some more time in the 24hr prayer room early this morning, as God began revealing truth to me in his Word. I got the privilege of praying through Romans chapter 13, where the apostle Paul reminds the faithful that the time is coming, when the daylight shall break forth, and light will shine in the darkness.
Breakfast at Panera led to some thoughts on the face of Justice in modern Evangelicalism. There are Pentecostals, Methodists, Episcopals, Catholics, Baptists, Charismatics, Presbyterians and even Mennonites here. We are all worshiping the same Savior, and pleading with the same God for the redemption of victims. We are crossing denominational lines, even as we seek to bring Justice to a broken and hurting world. I was ashamed of my Baptist denomination, when I heard the stories of our brothers in the UMC and PCUSA churches, who are raising thousands of dollars to help free slaves in India. I was equally embarrassed when some of our Pentecostal sisters got up and shared how they were literally paying for dozens of specially-trained nurses in Guatemala, so that these nurses could help rape victims seek justice from their rapists. Without going off on a rant, I am eagerly praying that Southern Baptists will see God’s heart for Justice, and seek to make our world a better place. Sometime next week, I’m going to post some thoughts on evangelism and justice, though I have not the time or energy to do so today.

Global Prayer Gathering- Friday

[I'm live blogging from the IJM Global Prayer Gathering in D.C.]

I was struck by the different kinds of people at the Banquet we had tonight.
There were lawyers and hippies, teenagers and grandparents, charismatics and fundamentalists, African Americans and Asians, Democrats and even a few Republicans. And we were a family. We were united by two simple truths. Jesus Christ has changed us, and God desires justice for this world.
We heard amazing stories of how God is moving (though for security, I’ve been asked to not post details). We heard of prosecution and restoration, torture and healing, rape and just punishment. God is working through the International Justice Mission.
We were led in worship by Ten Shekel Shirt, who took us before our God and helped us remember why we are fighting against injustice. I personally have not felt any freer in worship than when we sang Mighty to Save. The deep truth that our God is indeed in control of everything really hit home as we heard about the atrocities going on in the world and the men and women of God who are fighting against evil.
The last corporate event of the evening was a time of late night worship.
Even as a Baptist, it was amazing to tangibly feel the presence of God in out midst. We sang, we prayed and through it all, we worshipped. That time of worship led me naturally into a time of prayer in the 24hr prayer room at the hotel. For the first time in a long time, I was able to let go of some of the selfish things that have been consuming me, and truly pray for the world.

Vintage Faith means more than just First Century Christianity

My faith was refreshed today by our body singing this old hymn of the faith.
I hope we do not throw out the baby with the bath-water of modernism.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;

How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;

Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

On My Birthday

Today I "celebrate" another year of my life.
As I have been contemplating lately, I thought I should post my life verse.

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Phil 1:20-21

May this verse encourage you, as it has encouraged me.

Why I'm Not EmergENT

"Young people will give their lives for an exclamation point, but they will not give their lives for a question mark, not for very long, anyway." -Kevin DeYoung

In a break from the usual posts about theology and politics, I thought it would be beneficial to explain why I do not consider myself Emergent, and give some thoughts on a book I just finished reading, Why We're Not Emergent (by two Guys who should be).
First to review the book, then to explain myself.

Over all, I enjoyed reading this book. It was insightful, incredibly gracious and focused. I was impressed by the authors ability to be "authentic" and dissect the Emergent movement. Co-written by a Pastor and a professional writer, this book feels like a cross between Blue Like Jazz and Becoming Conversant with the Emergent Church. Kevin DeYoung's chapters read like a good theological interpretation of the movement, and Ted Kluck's chapters read like the narrative of someone figuring out the movement.
They address some of the big issues of the Emergent movement, including Foundationalism, the Journey motif, and even the downplay of Doctrine for experience. They systematically examine the core assumptions of Emergents and point out some of the serious flaws within their thinking. I do not want to take the time to examine everything they wrote, but I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the movement.

This book has given me much food for thought, as I seek to relate my faith to the world around me. I have often considered myself to be emerging, as I have identified with the sentiments of authors like Don Miller, Mark Driscoll, and Anthony Bradley. I have even enjoyed and appreciated the writings of Brian MacLaren, Dan Kimball and Rob Bell, though I have been concerned by some of the trends coming from these authors.
So after much consideration, I thought it might be beneficial to define where I fall theologically for you, the reader.
I AM:
1. not emergent.
2. not a fundamentalist.
3. not a Republican (yes this is a theological issue)
4. emerging. (I'll explain my terms)
5. generally Calvinistic/reformed.
6. politically conscious as an Independent.

1. While i do find myself outside many traditional concepts of church, I am not pluralistic or reductionistic. I believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God, and that it is authoritative for everyday life. I hold to the universal depravity of the human race, original sin and both the complete sovereignty of God and Human Responsibility.
2. While I agree with the majority of the fundamentals of the Christian faith, I reject the legalistic, tradition-centered practice of fundamentalism. I intentionally align my theological thought with those men who are willing to practice moderation as a spiritual gift. This means that I defend the ability of all Christians to decide for themselves on issues not explicit in scripture. It is my personal conviction that drinking alcohol or smoking tobacco are legitimate activities for a believer, in moderation, provided that they do not violate the biblical standards of physical health and responsibility. Basically, I would argue that its okay to drink a pint or smoke a cigar, provided that you are not getting drunk or addicted.
3. While it may seem ironic that I included my "political" position within my "theological" position, it is intentional and I believe, biblically necessary to do so. In recent years, the Conservative evangelical movement has become associated with republican politics. Thanks to men like Falwell and Robertson, most conservatives are portrayed as big-business, small government pro-life Republicans. While I do not have a problem with Christians who choose to support the Republican Party, I have a big problem with the alledged "Religious Right" / "Moral Majority". The Jesus I read about in the Gospels is not a politician, he specifically says that his Kingodm, and thus our kingdom is not of this earth. I believe it is vitally important (see previous post) to fight for the rights of unborn humans, I even believe that the government should be regulated, but I am not willing to equate my "theology" with the Republican Party. So, basically, I have no problem with people being Republicans, i simply have a problem with the Republican party being the "Christian party".
4. I consider myself part of the emerging movement of God in America. I intentionally differentiate between the movement of God in our country, and those who associate with Emergent Village. The emerging movement encompasses, as far as I can tell, many different streams of theological and practical thought. Within the movement are the New Reformed guys, the Emergent Village Guys, the house church movement and several other lesser streams. Through my associations with like-minded individuals, I consider myself part of the New Reformed stream, and follow thinkers like D.A. Carson, Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll and Anthony Bradley. I believe that the "traditional church" must see major reforms if it is to survive. The Gospel transforms lives, yet it seems that the "traditional" church has left the job of bringing the Gospel to the culture by the way side.
That said, the traditional church's theology, for the most part, is grounded in biblical teaching, whereas a number of the more emerging thinkers are willing to compromise doctrinal convictions as they study their theology.
5. After much study and prayer, I have settled my basic soteriological study and come to genrally agree with the Particular election view of men like Carson, Piper and Driscoll. I am still working through all the implications of that theology, and am unwilling to define the limtis of the atonement. I will be posting soon on my recent reading and conclusions on scripture.
6. As I stated previously, I do not vote along party lines. I will not take time here to discuss each of my political beliefs, nor anger those who disagree with me. I am willing to go on record that I do believe that the Sanctity of Human life should be a primary concern of the voter.

Emerging streams of thought are very important to Christianity's future. As I participate in this conversation, I hope to defend the orthodox doctrines of our faith and present the gospel in new and unique ways to this emerging generation.
More thoughts to come...

The Church and Politics: A Rant

I love America as a nation. I believe that we should respect and honor our flag and the other symbols of our nation. That said, I have a problem with the current way in which most Christians relate to politics. Where is the Love?
I do not mean to be trite or passe in my examination of Christian politics, I simply want to make a few observations.
1. Where in scripture does it teach us to impose our moral standards on our society? Are we supposed to make our society, even our country, into a moralistic, legalistic, democracy?
I would humbly propose that we are not commanded to moralize our country, but we are in fact called to lovingly evangelize our country. What America needs right now are not more hypocritical, bible-toting politicians, but more men and women in politics whose lives have been changed by the cross of Jesus Christ. We do not need another "Moral Majority", we do not even need a "Christian Coalition". What we need are men and women of biblical conviction to lovingly seek to make this country better.

2. (I'm gonna make some of you angry with me.)
How is it loving, in our cultural context to fight for the legal rights of the unborn?
Now, before you all try to excommunicate me, let me explain what I'm saying.
I believe its a gross injustice that 45,000 human beings are murdered every year. I believe that abortion is one of the single most heinous crimes going on in America today. However, that said, I believe that the way in which we our attempting to end the injustice is wrong. While I do believe that the Roe v. Wade decision was wrong and should be overturned, I think we are fighting this battle from the wrong direction. Rather than pouring billions into lobbyists and ad campaigns, what if we poured billions into crisis pregnancy centers and women's shelters? What if we fought for life one women at a time, instead of one law at a time? The problem I see, is that if we merely try to overturn a federal ruling, how are we loving individual people? Most women don't understand why we are fighting against their "right" to choose abortion. What if instead of condemning women for having abortions, we showed them beating hearts, and the effects of abortions on others. How would we be perceived then, if we simply loved them? This whole train of the thought leads me to my final thought.

3. What would happen if Christians were known by what we love and not by what we hate?
What would happen if we were known for loving women or for loving homosexuals? What if we sought to lovingly change what one person at a time? Instead of spending billions to legislate against abortion or gay marriage, what if we poured that money into one-on-one relational ministry, what if we supported people and programs to help pregnant women and gays find answers? I'm not saying we should condone abortion or homosexual acts, but I find it troubling that so many who do not condone those actions portray themselves as if they hate those involved in these sins.
So thats me political rant for the day. Stay tuned.

Good Friday and Accomplished Redemption

Almost two thousand years ago, a homeless Palestinian Jew, a carpenter-turned-prophet was crucified by the Roman government for being a traitor.
This man made the audacious claim that he was God himself, come to "save" the world.
The Jews were looking for a Messiah, someone to free them from the harsh rule of Rome.
But this Jesus did not preach rebellion, or even resistance.
This Jesus was not concerned with political freedom. His concern was eternal.
Some remember this Jew as a great teacher, a man who spoke of a greater morality.
This was the Jesus who taught us to "love others as you love yourself". But he could not be God, that is just preposterous...
Some remember this Jesus as a great prophet, a speaker of truth. This was the man who raised the dead and healed the sick. But he could not be God, that would be insane.
I remember that Jew as a savior. I remember this Jesus because he told me, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father, except through me." He must have been God, for otherwise he would be a horrible moral example, a liar who should be ignored. He must have been God, or he wasn't a good prophet, for he claimed he was God and said he would rise in three days.
This Jesus willingly laid down his life, in the greatest act of Love the world has ever seen.
He chose to die an excruciating death, at the hands of evil men, counted as a criminal, all for the sake of men and women who hated him.
This is love, that an innocent man would exchange his life for the life of the vilest of criminals, a man like me.
Let us not forget on this Good Friday that God himself exchanged his glorious place on high, for a crucified body on a Roman Cross, that we who have fled from God might be redeemed.

Soli Deo Gloria

Community Questions

[This is a tangential post related to the larger purpose of the blog]

What does it mean to live in community with other believers?
This is a question that has been haunting me for the last several months.
When we examine the early church, we see a very simple picture.
"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."
Acts 2:42-47

So in response to God's word, I have a few thoughtful questions for any who should read this post. I pray that these will challenge you...

1. Who do you, as a believer, share your life with?
2. Who are you, as a believer, accountable with?
3. What do you do with your free time?
4. Are you actively participating in a church community?
5. If you are not involved in a church community, why not?
6. How are you involved with your church community?
7. Do you intentionally reflect the love of God to those around you?
8. Who challenges you to be more like Christ?

These are questions that I have been working through as I try to better understand what it means to live in a redemptive community.

"Creation-Fall-Redmeption-ReCreation" is the Gospel

...not Calvinism.

Sometimes, I think that I’m going insane. In the literal sense.
I am taking some time out to address a question which has been bothering me for quite some time.
Why do Reformed people always seem so vehemently opposed to other soteriologcial (salvation theology) systems? Why is it that a man of standing in the Reformed tradition feels it necessary to associate people of a different theological position with heresy?
A good friend of mine is a theologically sound Arminian. While I do not agree with his theological system, we have been able to remain friends for almost two years. We enjoy debating the various implications of each other’s theology, and often challenge each other to better understand what we believe. In recent days, he has been working through the particular way in which God seems to call his people. Having reconciled the “problem” texts to his Arminian position, he has since returned to actively pursuing his Arminian doctrine. This week, a certain prominent figure made accusations that Arminianism is heretical and just a well-disguised form of the Pelagian heresy. While I agree with the worldview from which the man is speaking, I am struck by the lack of Christian love and gentleness that he exhibits. His remarks, at a prominent conference, were harmful to the whole Christian faith. Now to the actual post.
What does someone mean when they say that “Calvinism is the Gospel”? I mean really, what are they saying?
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures”
(I Corinthians 15:1-4)
While I spiritedly disagree with my friend, I am perfectly comfortable knowing that he and I believe the same Gospel. To demonstrate, I thought I should present what we agree on. This is my attempt to represent the larger points of redemptive history.

Creation:
God created this world for the purpose of Glorifying himself.
God created man, in His image, to Glorify himself.
Man was given the task to rule over the earth.

Fall:
Adam and Eve disobeyed God.
God punished their disobedience by breaking off the relationship they had to Him.
Adam and Eve are cursed by their own evil, bringing about all kinds of evil into the natural world.
Even as God is sending them out to live in the world, he promises that he will send a redeemer.

Redemption:
God made a promise to Abraham that his people would fill the earth.
God made a promise with his people to redeem them, and gave them the Ten Commandments.
God brought them into the land he had promised them.
God brought up leaders to guide his people, even as they rebelled against him.
God brought forth David as the forefather of the promised redeemer.
God used his people to demonstrate his power, authority and love.
God sent down his only son Jesus Christ to earth.
Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, a descendent of David, and inaugurated the Kingdom of God
Christ lived an exemplary life, demonstrating what it means to perfectly love others and love God.
Christ was crucified on a roman cross, paying the penalty of death for all those who believe in him.
Christ was buried in a cave outside Jerusalem.
Christ rose from the dead, declaring victory over death and sin.
Christ ascended to Heaven, and reigns over all.
God left his Holy Spirit here, to convict and guide us as we seek to work for the redemption of the world.
Christ commissioned his people, through the Apostles, to be ministers of reconciliation of Christ to the world.


Re-Creation:
Christ will return at a time of his choosing.
God will judge all those who have rebelled against him.
He will cleanse the earth
God will remake the earth into its glorious pre-fall state.
He will fulfill the Kingdom of God in the new city of Jerusalem.


This is the Gospel, that God created us to glorify him through our relationship with him. We rebelled against him and were damned. Evil entered the world and we were left with the promise of a redeemer.
God began redemption with Adam and Eve, continued it through all the history of Israel, and fulfilled his promise with the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Christ redeemed sinners at the cross, the Holy Spirit sustains us, and Christ will return to bring about the recreation of the perfect Natural order.

More thoughts later.

Party like the redeemed

Toward A Missional Worldview: Understanding Redemption Should Mean More Partying
Author: Anthony Bradley

I write this while just returning from an amazing trip to Central America hanging out with friends living there. I haven't had that much fun in years. Since my return, I've been wondering why many Christians are such boring people to be around if redemption is true. If Christ's mission was truly accomplished and if the Kingdom of God is alive then Christians ought to be the most celebrative people on the planet throwing the best parties and social events. If the Gospel is true one would think that Christians would be the best at "getting their party on."

David got buck-naked and started dancing because of the grace of God. Why don't we celebrate like this (fully clothed, of course)?

Look, redemption is huge. It's more than personal salvation. The redemption achieved by Jesus Christ is cosmic and is directed at all of life, including creation. Men and women are saved by grace so that they may fulfill their role in the kingdom as God's managers of the earth. In a fallen world, this managing function takes on even greater importance as it relates to being 'salt and light.' God has planned to "reconcile to himself all things" (Col. 1:20) through the work and person of Jesus Christ. His church shares and displays this truth in all of life.

The scope of redemption is as great as the scope of the fall. It embraces creation as a whole. Being a Jesus follower is personal renewal and walking away from sin but it also means that Jesus followers are about the business of promoting renewal and shalom in every aspect of creation. Jesus followers have been called into a "ministry of reconciliation" on his behalf (2 Cor. 5:8).

In the name of Jesus all distortions and perversions must be opposed everywhere-at the club, in a bar, at school, in the kitchen, in the bedroom, at work, on the radio, on the canvas, on the internet, in the factory, and so on. God's people bring Christ's victory, in his defeat of sin and the recovery of creation, in all aspects of culture. All of it!

Jesus' miracles provide us a picture of the full scope of redemption, says Al Wolters. The miracles are "a freeing of creation from the shackles of sin and evil and a reinstatement of creaturely living as God intended." Since his ascension Jesus has been actively extending the implications of the kingdom all over the world (Luke 19:11-27).

Only the atonement deals with sin and evil effectively at the root. The gospel, then, is preached to all creation (Mark 16:15) because there is a need of cosmic liberation from sin everywhere. It is worth celebrating here and now that being united to the Kingdom through Jesus Christ destines his people to an eternity with him in the new heavens and the new earth (Rev. 21). No pain, no tears, no worries, no stress, no IRS.

It makes sense, then, that celebration is also part of the Christian tradition: from the feasts and celebrations in the Torah, the celebration in the Psalms, various celebrations of God's people renewing their fidelity to Him in Old Testament, to the story of Jesus ministry, and beyond...

It makes sense that one of the first "signs" of the Kingdom was Jesus turning water into wine (real wine) at a wedding celebration. This was not a lame, hour-long modern evangelical reception with people sitting around drinking watered-down punch, eating peanuts, only waiting around to say "congratulations" so they can jet home to play a board game. Nope, hours and hours of laughing, dancing, eating good food, and drinking. They drank so much that they ran out and Jesus kept the celebration going by demonstrating his lordship over cosmic reasons to celebrate.

So if the kingdom is real, if creation is all good, if life is not suppose to suck, if God is renewing all things to himself through Christ, if you are united to Jesus and standing before God forgiven, then why is your social life so boring? Why are you not either at a party or throwing a party every weekend? Why are you not inviting people into your community of celebration?

Wouldn't it be awesome if Christians were such a celebrative group of people that our non-Christians friends and neighbors would get introduced to Christianity by wanting to come to our parties? Here's a great question for someone to ask you: "why are you Christians always partying so much? Missional living pursues not only shalom but celebration. Jesus followers should party now like they will in heaven.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

II Corinthians 2:16-21
"16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

What is the mission of those who follow Jesus Christ?
What are we supposed to do?
Who are we supposed to be?

The answer to all these questions can be found in, what many have called, the pinnacle of Scripture. Second Corinthians is a letter written to some very messed up people. The church in Corinth is infamous for its moral and theological problems. In the second letter, Paul exhorts the believers to be "Ambassadors of Christ". In this passage we see our mission, and the Mission of God in us.
We are first and foremost to discard those prejudices which we once held. Even as we once considered Christ as merely a man, before our regeneration, we must now regard all people in light of Christ as the God-Man. This means that we stop showing favoritism, we stop carrying around grudges against others, we show the love of Christ to others. We are now, in Christ new people.
As we have been changed so we must now live. The change wrought in us is complete, and as such our actions must conform to our new nature. He goes on to state that we have been tasked with the duty of reconciliation as our Ministry.
Because Christ came to reconcile men to himself, it falls to us his followers, to carry out the reconciling work of Christ. While we can not save men, we can present them with the Gospel. For God uses his church, his followers to plead for repentance. We are the ambassadors of Christ to the fallen world around us. It becomes our responsibility to present Christ as he is, not as the world wants to see him. Love others with the Love of Christ.

I hope to expand these thoughts at a later date.