renrutkram

I have been reminded of late about the massive misunderstanding that most Christians have regarding the nature of the church.  One common fallacy of which I have recently encountered has massive implications for the way one lives and behaves.  It is routinely propagated that one must behave in a particularly pious way “at church.”  “Put on your Sunday best,” someone might say.  Others balk at a pastor’s knowledge of popular media or his reference to popular culture while teaching.  They say that it has no place “at church.”  The manifestations of this Biblical mistake are never ending.

Ultimately some would have you believe that certain physical space is sacred and other physical space is secular.  Like Moses and the burning bush, when you step onto the church’s property you are “on holy ground.”  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The reality of the New Testament is that believers are the ones who are holy, by means of the blood of Christ (1 Cor 3:16–17; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16).  The church is not a building (Eph 2:11–22) but a people.

On the one hand, what you do and say with the church should not be disconnected from what you do and say by yourself.  Granted, the purpose of a church meeting together is different than when you are alone—mutual edification can only occur with others.  However, there should be little difference in the manner of my living when I am with other believers and when I am by myself.  If what I wear throughout the week is not appropriate for “church” then it is not appropriate for the grocery store.  You might not want to wear a baseball uniform or pajamas to church (different purpose) but neither must you wear a specific “church uniform.”  If God does not require a suit to go the baseball game then he does not require one when I gather with other believers.  This thinking should extend to what I watch on television and the content of my conversation.  As far as I can tell, the Biblical definition of sacred and secular is purely an inward category.  Holiness is a function of our calling from God, not our location (Eph 1:4; Col 3:12; 1 Pet 1:15).

I’m not sure if you have moments of personal doubt and insecurity—I sometimes do.  Recently I was feeling quite useless.  A stray comment here or a thoughtless decision there and one can easily spiral into a defeatist attitude.  Satan wastes no time in capitalizing on our mistakes.

Satan accuses Christians day and night.  It is not just that he will work on our conscience to make us feel as dirty, guilty, defeated, destroyed, weak, and ugly as he possibly can; it is something worse: his entire play in the past is to accuse us before God day and night, bringing charges against us that we know we can never answer before the majesty of God’s holiness.

What can we say in response? Will our defense be, ‘Oh, I’m not that bad?’  You will never beat Satan that way.  Never.  What you must say is, ‘Satan, I’m even worse than you think, but God loves me anyway.  He has accepted me because of the blood of the lamb

— D. A. Carson, Scandalous

Unfortunately, Satan is not our only accuser.  Other Christians waste no time pointing out your flaws and imperfections.  I am convinced that accountability is necessary within a Christian fellowship but accountability is for the purpose of edification and restoration.  It is very easy to drift from accountability to accusation.  We love to see others fall.  There must be a point where we allow the mistakes of others to be left in the past.  The acceptance and forgiveness of Christ is the basis of our status before Him and each other.  For me, the words of Paul are profoundly applicable:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

Am I willing to treat others not just as I want to be treated but as Christ treated me.  Am I willing to consider them as better than myself?  Am I willing to suffer wrongs and insults rather than be defensive?  Am I willing to measure others by the work of Christ rather than their good or bad behavior?  Am I willing to forgive their sins rather keeping score?  Am I willing to love like Christ?

The Issue

Months ago I was asked to blog about a proposed mosque (actually it is an Islamic Community Center) being built at “Ground Zero” (more precisely it is being built two blocks from “Ground Zero”).  At the time I felt it was a lose-lose proposition and my feelings haven’t changed.  I do, however, feel obligated to clear up some common logical missteps that are being circulated around the “interweb.”  This story combines many emotive factors: race, religion, and war.  There is an explosive mix of misinformation, anger, xenophobia, nationalism, and religious fervor.  The scars of 9/11 run deep in the lives of many Americans.  However, the recent “War on Terror” has, among other things, produced a caricature of Muslims in the mind of the everyday American.  I am very sensitive to the feelings of those effected by 9/11.  Nevertheless, “feelings” are not a proper form of argument in a discussion on religious liberty.  Many Americans have unfairly designated Muslims as terrorists in post-9/11 America.  As a Christian it is important to be calm and fair while discussing the building of a “mosque” at “Ground Zero.”  There is no room in Christianity for “Islamophobia” or dishonest caricature.  A Christian response to Islam should be centered on the gospel (e.g., graceful and honest) while generously embracing religious liberty.

Improper Categorization

It is dangerous to categorize religious groups as homogeneous entities.  In many ways there is no one form of “Hinduism” or “Buddhism” or “Islam.”  While various sects share overlapping beliefs they often exhibit more diversity than unity.  Even in Christianity it is difficult to categorize modern day Christians as a unified group.  While I think the standard of Christianity is the Bible, the diversity of self-proclaimed Christians stretches the meaning of the word infinitely thin.  I bristle at the thought of being identified with the likes of Ted Haggard, Benny Hinn, Fred Phelps, or any number of infamous “Christian” personalities (in my opinion these self-identified “Christians” are some of the least likely persons I know to actually be followers of Christ).  These are only the famous examples; countless people claim to be “Christian” but deny the basic teachings of Jesus in their lifestyle.

Treat Others as You Want to Be Treated

If I am unwilling to allow unbelievers (i.e., non-Christians) to define me by the actions of other Christians, then I must be willing to allow Muslims a voice in their self-identity.  Surely some Muslims have used Islam as a means to justify war against others.  Does the Quran encourage violence?  That is a debate outside of our purview and I would caution my Christian friends to remember the often violent stories in the Hebrew Bible before hastily condemning the Quran.  Many Muslims (if not most Muslims) insist that Islamic fundamentalists and Islamic terrorists do not represent the whole of Islam.  If my “Christianity” is different than that of Fred Phelps then I must allow Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf (the project’s lead architect) to distance his faith from that of Osama Bin Laden. The August 16, 2010 issue of Time Magazine did a good job explaining the irony of a moderate Muslim (i.e., Rauf) being categorized with Islamic Terrorists:

The project’s critics range from those who believe Islam was the malevolent force that brought down the towers to opportunistic politicians.  Ironically, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and his wife Daisy Khan, the project’s main movers, are precisely the kind of Muslim leaders conservative commentators should welcome: modernists who condemn the death cult of al-Qaeda.  Rauf is a Sufi, Islam’s most mystical and accomodating branch, yet he finds himself accused of extremist leanings.  This browbeating of a moderate Muslim empowers the al-Qaeda narrative that the West loathes everything about Islam.  As New York Mayor Mike Bloombergs said, caving to Park 51′s critics “would be to hand a victory to the terrorists.”  Rauf and Khan hope their project will promote greater interfaith dialogue.  The furor underlines how much it is needed.

Newt Gingrich and several other public figures have tried to compare America with Saudi Arabia.  “There should be no mosque near Ground Zero in New York so long as there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia” said Gingrich.  The silliness of this statement is astounding. First, Saudi Arabia is governed by Sharia law which is based, ostensibly, on the Quran and the teachings of Islam.  It would make sense that a country like this would be exclusive in their allowance or disallowance of other religions.  However, Saudi Arabia (though central to Islam because of the holy city of Mecca and other such religious sites) is not the sole representative of the international Muslim community.  In any case, America is founded on religious freedom.  I expect America to have a higher standard than most countries in regard to issues of religious freedom (for a humorous look at this issue you can turn to the always hilarious Daily Show).

America and the False Pretense of Freedom

Some of the most fervently patriotic people I know are opposed to a Mosque being built at “Ground Zero.”  Apparently, all of the talk about America as the “land of freedom” is a lie.  For those who are interested, freedom means that people can do things that upset you as long as it does not break any laws or endanger the lives of others.  As long as a group can finance a building and it fits into the zoning restrictions of a particular locale then they are permitted to build.  If we do not allow Muslims to build religious buildings where they desire then the American ideal of freedom is a charade.  You cannot say we live in a free country and then deny a significant group of people the right to build a religious building.  If a Muslim group wants to build a community center in New York City, they can!  I do not want any group of people telling me where I can or cannot build a Christian community center, therefore I cannot oppose Muslims building a mosque.  Just as free speech applies to idiots who say things that I do not like, freedom allows a Muslim group to build a community center near “Ground Zero” (despite the perceived insensitivity of those in charge of this project).

A Note to My Christian Readers

It is easy for Christians to be so consumed with special interest causes that they miss the plot of the gospel.  Christianity is not at war with Islam (despite the way some Muslims may feel toward Christians and vice versa).  There is no room in Christianity for hatred toward another religion, race, or people group.  Further, Christians cannot use dishonest representation to make a point.  Christians should be the first to embrace Muslims around the nation, showing them hospitality, love, and genuine care.  In the process there might be an opportunity to model the gospel that was demonstrated by the scandalous (e.g., Luke 7:36-50) love of Jesus that breaks through social barriers (John 4:1-42; Galatians 3:28).  Jesus died for me, a sinful, rebellious, angry person; I was spiritually opposed to God (Romans 8:5-8).  I was, in some sense, spiritually at war with God.  Yet Christ found me in a dead and decaying state and graciously gave me new life (Ephesians 2:1-10).  I didn’t deserve the love of God.  Therefore, I do not love Muslims because they “deserve” it or because they have been particularly kind to me.  I love them because Christ first loved me (1 John 4:19; 2 Corinthians 5:14).  I love them because of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As a Christian I am glad that the myth of Christian America is quickly crumbling.  People are no longer able to substitute heritage and tradition for genuine faith.  In the process of spreading the gospel to the nations, the nations have started to come to America.  I no longer have to travel to the Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Kosovo, or any of the myriad of Muslim majority nations to share the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ with a follower of Islam.  Instead, Muslims are in my community.  Rather than opposing their traditions and customs I embrace their culture and seek to honestly and lovingly expose them with the beauty of the true and living God.

As a Christian I am confident that the only hope for everyone is the gospel of Jesus.  The solution is not legislation, picketing, name-calling, or fighting but the power of the gospel demonstrated through the honest, sacrificial love of Christians to all people.  A love that is willing to endure insult, abuse, injury, and death for the sake of the gospel.

The truth is that our culture is very easily drawn toward cynicism.  There is so much hypocrisy and disappointment in life that optimism seems vaguely idiotic.  When it comes to Christianity I was living a very cynical existence for many years.  Everywhere I looked I saw hypocritical televangelists or nominal believers.  I felt most pastors preferred pop-psychology to faithful exegesis.  On top of that I felt the Evangelical culture as a whole was inconsistently preoccupied with certain social issues (such as a perceived fight against homosexual marriage).

Over the years God has been slowly softening my heart.  I am not a cheery optimist and I still consider my spiritual gift to be sarcasm but I am learning to model the grace of the gospel to everyone.  When I look at the surrounding culture I balance critical realism with gospel-centered hopefulness.  I am neither blindly naïve or hopelessly jaded.

For me, cynicism came from a belief that I had all the answers.  I felt that the way I viewed the world and the way I understood God was the only possible way.  While I still have strong opinions on issues, at the core of my ability to navigate through the perceived ignorance of others is an understanding that I am not the final arbiter of what is wise or unwise.

The gospel has magnified the depth of my sin and highlighted the grace of Jesus leaving me with no response but thankful humility.  It is only the gospel that gives me hope that I can change, that God is good, and that their is a future for those that love Jesus.  That is the hope that I want to share with a jaded and cynical world.

While watching the ESPY’s I was particularly moved by the story of Ed Thomas.

After watching this story I did a little more online research and found that the depths of character in the Thomas family run deep.  You can read for yourself a moving account that describes Ed Thomas as a man of sincere Christian commitment; continuing his dad’s legacy, Aaron Thomas has tried to forgive in the face of conflicting emotions and overwhelming doubt.

I came across a brief video clip of C. J. Mahaney.  He was offering advice backstage at the 2010 SBC Pastor’s conference.  His simple advice was from 1 Timothy 4:16:  “Watch your life and doctrine closely.”

I empathize deeply with C. J.’s concern.  It is much easier for me to watch my doctrine than my life.  I must be careful to pay close attention that the information I gain about God results in a life transformed to look like Christ.  The result of any knowledge about God is a life that bears much fruit for His glory.

A timely reminder.

Doug Wilson wrote an interesting post on moralism and morality for a Christian internet filtration software company.  His post brings up many of the problems with building fences around sin.  Often boundaries intended to help people avoid sin actual increase someone’s desire for the “forbidden fruit” and can even engender sin by causing thoughts that are more wicked; thoughts are just as sinful as actions (e.g., Matthew 5).

Wilson encourages accountability as the preferred method of teaching and building in the process of fighting sin, whereas restriction merely leads to “public denunciations and private indulgences.”

I am of the opinion that “fleeing temptation” is the Biblical model but is not equal to “hiding from sin.”  Sometimes people merely avoid bad actions while never dealing with the inner struggle with sinful desires.  Christ has promised victory from sin for all who have faith in Him.  The result of victory is that I not only want to avoid temptation, but I also have the ability to overcome it.

The Jesus Paradigm

In responding to Jesus’ call to follow him, I must ask myself what it is I can do to get serious about kingdom-focused living.  Am I really willing to seek the lower place at the table rather than the place of preeminence and respectability (Luke 14:1-11)?  Am I really willing to give to the poor out of my abundance (Luke 19:8)?  Am I really willing to touch sinners (Luke 7:36-39)?  Am I really willing to proactively use my possessions for the good of God’s kingdom (Luke 6:38)?  Everything in me balks at this kind of love and sacrifice.  I recoil at the thought of forsaking the world and its values — whether religious, political, social, educational, or vocational.  To be “sentenced to death,” to become a “spectacle to the world,” to be “fools for Christ’s sake,” to be “held in disrepute,” to go “hungry and thirsty,” to be “poorly clothed,” “persecuted,” “slandered,” “the rubbish of the world,” “the dregs of all things” — the apostle Paul might endure such suffering (1 Cor. 4:8-13), or maybe Ethiopian Christians.  But I, Lord?  Yet if I , as a Christian, do not practice what I preach, if I continue to major in the minors, if “poor in spirit” remains but a meaningless platitude in my own life, then I am merely an admirer of Jesus and not a true follower.

— David Alan Black

This summer I am teaching the young adults at Nansemond River Baptist Church about the “Mission of God” (Missio Dei for those of you who enjoy dead languages).  After a brief introduction discussing a Biblical Theology of mission (don’t worry, if “teenagers” can learn trigonometry they can learn Biblical Theology) we are spending the next few weeks in the beautiful book of Jonah.  The other night I taught through the first chapter of Jonah.

I don’t want to reproduce the entire discussion but God has really been working in my heart as I study this book.  Here are a few takeaways from Jonah 1.

1.  Jonah was a faithful prophet as long as God acted like he expected.  Jonah, in this story, is not just running away from serving God, he’s running away from serving God where it is hard.  This is a hard lesson for me to learn.  Jonah hated the Ninevites; they are the sworn enemies of his people.  For Jonah, the Ninevites did not deserve a chance to repent.  He was nervous that God might actually save them.  The questions I ask myself are sometimes hard to answer:  Where is it hard for me to serve God?  Who are the people that I feel don’t deserve the love and forgiveness of God?  Do I value my national loyalties more than the souls of the lost persons around the world?  Are their groups of people who I don’t want to hear the gospel?  Would I go to a hard place like Iran, Iraq or Indonesia to share the gospel or am I content to see these people die and spend eternity in hell?

2.  God sent, pursued, and saved His messenger but the messenger was never the point, it was always about the message.

3.  The point of Jonah is not about a whale, it’s about the God of the whale.  It’s about a God who rescued a messenger so He could rescue an entire people.  The story of Jonah is not about how much God loved Jonah, though He surely did; it’s about how much He loved the Ninevites.  The book of Jonah is about an upside-down God showing love and compassion to the last people on earth anyone ever expected.

4.  God does not just want to save you, He wants to use you.  When God confronts you with the needs of the world around you, it’s not just about Him pursuing you; He is pursuing the lost world through you.  When God calls you it is because He loves the world.  When He rescues you it is so that you might bring rescue to the world!

This week at camp the speaker gave a really helpful illustration when talking about integrity.  At one point he had the kids play a version of Simon Says called “Head, Belly, Knees.”  When I first played the game I remembered how much easier it is when you close your eyes and listen to the commands rather than trying to imitate.

The speaker, however, used this fun children’s game as an example of the importance of Christian integrity.  Every time he said one thing (i.e., head) but did something else (i.e., touched his knees), a number of students would imitate him rather than listen to him.  The point was clear, it is a much easier game when the leader’s actions match up with his words.

While my hypocrisy might not prevent someone from coming to know Christ, it will make it much more difficult.  I pray that my actions match my words.