The Gospel

Note: I owe a great debt to Brad Jersak and his book “Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hope, Hell and the New Jerusalem,” for thoughts shared in this article. I highly recommend the book.

The gospel I learned as a little boy went something like this. God loves you. And God wants you to go to heaven when you die (or when Jesus comes again). But God is also just. God always does the right thing. And since you are a sinner, the right thing for God to do is punish you by sending you to hell forever. (You can only imagine how my five-year-old brain processed this information!) To solve this dilemma, God sent his Son Jesus to die on the cross in your place. When Jesus died in your place, God put all your sin on Jesus, poured out all his wrath on Jesus and turned his back on Jesus. That way, God could be just and punish someone for your sin without actually punishing you. Now, if you will just believe this “good news” you can go to heaven when you die.  

And I did believe it. In fact, I jumped at the chance to believe it! I said the “sinner’s prayer” so fast it would make your head swim. Nobody had to ask me twice. This gospel served me well for a while. But the more I learned about God, the more I struggled with this version of the “good news.” 

I don’t exactly believe that version of the gospel anymore. Here’s what I do believe. God created human beings in his image and God loves us. God wants to live in perfect harmony (shalom) with us. But human beings consistently sin, and we turn our backs on God. So, God comes to us. Miraculously, God came to us as a baby born to a virgin girl named Mary. And when we turned our backs on God, he kept turning toward us. 

A woman who was caught in the act of adultery was brought to God by men who said she should be stoned to death. Then God looked at the woman’s accusers and said, “whoever is without sin cast the first stone.” The men dropped their stones and, beginning with the oldest, they all walked away. Then God looked at the woman and said, “I do not condemn you. Go and leave your life of sin.” 

A man was under the control of the dark forces of Satan. He suffered in a hellish existence. He was completely possessed by his demons. He lived in the graveyard. He was naked and he cut himself with stones. But then God sailed across the sea of Galilee to meet this demon possessed man. And God set the man free from his demons. And then the man found himself sitting at the feet of God, fully clothed and in his right mind. 

In the Gospels (the books that record the biography of Jesus) there are many stories like these. 

Finally, when humanity was completely lost in the hell of our hate and fully surrendered to our sinfulness, we nailed God to a cross. But what did God do? God the Son prayed to God the Father and said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” And, of course, God did. 

That’s the gospel I believe. And that’s the gospel I invite others to believe. Is it possible to reject this gospel? Yes, I think so. I think people do reject it. Some reject it because they can’t bring themselves to believe in a God that doesn’t require us to do anything to earn his love. So, we create methods by which we save ourselves, like praying a special prayer or believing a certain set of doctrinal statements. But when all is said and done, God just keeps coming to us, turning toward us even when we’ve turned away from God, and inviting us to believe that we’re already forgiven. 

I believe that is the gospel…the good news.

 

Picture from ABC News

Overturning Roe v Wade 

Many churches around the country are rejoicing over the reversal of Roe v Wade in triumphal celebration.  But is it really a triumph?  I’m not so sure.     

(Before you start posting comments about my left leaning ways, please read to the end.  Then you can post away.)

I consider myself pro-life.  I’m for the lives of unborn babies and I’m for the lives of their desperate mothers.  And just to be clear, I believe the reversal of Roe v Wade was the right decision.  Mothers should give birth to their babies.  Jesus said, “love your neighbor as yourself.”  And a fetus is about as close a neighbor as you can get. 

But I have a pastoral question.  Why was the church unable to end the demand for abortion simply by doing what we were commissioned to do? 

The last thing Jesus said to us before his ascension was not, Go and get in bed with the empires of this world so that you can use their power to accomplish my goals.

Jesus said, Go and make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything that I have commanded.  Jesus said that his disciples are to make other disciples.  Those who follow Jesus, those who hear his words and obey them, are to invite others to follow Jesus, to hear his words and obey them.

History teaches us that when the church does what Jesus said to do, the church is truly influential in our world.  We make a real difference in the world when we are making disciples.  We exercise real power when we teach people, mostly by example, to obey Jesus.  It’s that simple.

So, why is the church more dependent on Supreme Court legislation than Jesus’ Great Commission?  Why doesn’t the church just make disciples who will do the right thing?  Because, in my opinion, the modern church is not very good at making disciples.  That’s the hard truth. 

And here’s an even harder truth.  The church is not very good at making disciples of Jesus because the church is not very good at being disciples of Jesus.  We are not good at leading people to follow Jesus because we are not good at following Jesus. 

For example, we tell mothers they should love their babies and give them life, but the church has a long track record of failing to love our enemies (as Jesus taught) and giving them life.  We have endorsed and supported our government when it goes to war with our neighbors and kills innocent mothers and children. Can you see how our “opponents” might not be convinced by our pro-life rhetoric?

From the genocide of native Americans to the war in Iraq, the official representatives of the church have endorsed (sometimes even participated in) the systematic extermination of human life.  Maybe instead of taking a victory lap, we should run to the altar to repent of our complicity in these evils. 

More repenting, less rejoicing!  More confessing and less celebrating!  More humility, less hubris!

I’m not saying that Roe v Wade should not have been reversed.  I’m saying that we shouldn’t gloat over it.  I’m saying that the church has once again carefully navigated around the beam that is in our own eye, relentlessly pawing at the speck that is in our brother’s (or sister’s) eye, failing to realize that we’re both still blind.

 

Confessing Our Faith

A friend of mine once said, Rob, I can’t recite the Apostle’s Creed because I can’t honestly say that I believe it.

That piqued my curiosity, so I said, Tell me more.

Well, he said, I want to be able to recite all the statements in the creed with integrity.  I’m really drawn to the Christian faith.  I think the teachings of Christ are beautiful.  I’m captivated by the possibility that Jesus actually is the Son of God.  But I have doubts…really big ones!

Perhaps you can relate to my friend, or you have a friend that can relate to my friend.  You, and/or your friend, have doubts…really big ones! 

Here’s what I said to my doubtful friend.  I hope it helps you…and/or your friend.

I don’t think we are required to believe without doubts.  Doubts are a natural part of belief.  Jesus once asked a man if he believed, to which the man replied, I believe, help my unbelief!

So, when we confess our faith, we always confess more than we understand, and sometimes we confess more than we believe, at least in that moment.  Belief and unbelief can co-exist.  

Let me say it this way.  A confession of faith is not a confession of certainty.  Let me say it another way.  If I don’t have any doubts, then I really don’t need faith.  As the writer of the book of Hebrews said, “Faith is the substance of what we hope for, the evidence of what we can’t see. (Hebrews 11:1) If we could already see it, we wouldn’t need faith.

In 1961, John F. Kennedy made a “confession of faith.” It went something like this.  I believe that we can put a man on the moon within a decade.  Do you think that JFK may have had doubts about that confession? 

So, I don't think it's wrong to confess our faith, even when we have doubts.  Some people thought JFK was naïve at best, and possibly crazy.  Some who hear Christians recite the Apostles Creed think the same thing.  And some Christians may feel crazy while they’re reciting the confession.  Still, we confess our faith, sometimes fraught with doubts…until, like everybody glued to their T.V.’s on July 20^th 1969, our faith is transformed into sight.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life…But Not Now?

Recently Jerry Falwell Jr. tweeted:

Conservatives & Christians need to stop electing “nice guys.” They might make great Christian leaders but the US needs street fighters like @realDonaldTrump at every level of government b/c the liberal fascist Dems are playing for keeps & many Repub leaders are a bunch of wimps. 9/28/18

Falwell’s tweet reflects a growing theology among some Christian leaders (particularly evangelical leaders). 

It goes something like this. The way of Jesus... the way of enemy love, non-violence and self-sacrifice is okay in church, but it just won’t cut it in the real world.  In the real world, Jesus just isn’t tough enough.  In the real world, you need street fighters.  Jesus is a fine Messiah if all you want to do is get to heaven, but if you want to make a difference in Washington, you’ll need another Messiah.  You’ll need a Messiah that puts his or her enemies on a cross, not one that dies on a cross for his enemies.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life…but not now.

I don’t think we can overstate how destructive this brand of political activism has become in our world.  I’m sure it’s not their intention, but politicians and preachers, like Falwell, who have bought into it are proclaiming to the world that Jesus is going to be Lord someday but he’s not Lord now.  Right now, we have to fight fire with fire, hate with hate, violence with more violence, political ugliness with even more political ugliness.

But the apostle Paul, among others, clearly proclaims that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:11).  Jesus is Lord of the universe right now!  And a simple reading of history proves that the church has been truly influential only when we have chosen to do so through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ as we follow his teachings.  We bring value and honor to the politics of our land when, and only when, we are voices echoing the invitation of Jesus... “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:44-45)

I’m sure that Jerry Falwell, and other religious leaders, have the best intentions for their political activism.  I’m sure they choose a street fighting Messiah hoping that he or she will bring peace.  But I think our politicians and preachers need to be reminded that Jesus really is the way, the truth and the life…right now.

A Dream about a Dream about Heaven

I had a dream.  And in my dream, I was speaking before the national gathering of my church’s leaders.  And I said, I had a dream about heaven!  (So, I had a dream about telling some people about my dream about heaven.  Are you with me so far?)

I said, heaven is this place where everyone, from those who hunger and thirst for righteousness to those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, are truly blessed.

Heaven is a place where everyone has given up on anger.  It’s a place where everyone has come to see the futility of hatred and decided to love their enemies.  It’s a place where the instruments of warfare have been converted into the implements of agriculture.     

Heaven is a place where religious posturing has fallen away and no one feels compelled to impress anyone with their deep devotion or their high holiness.  Instead, everyone is fearlessly honest about their deep brokenness and their failure to “get it right.”

Heaven is a place where the need to climb the ladder of success has lost its appeal and no one worries about financial security or owning stuff.  Everyone prays, “give us this day our daily bread,” and everyone shares what has been given.   

Heaven is a place where no one tries to decide whether or not any of the other residents should be there.  The need to judge others has long since passed away.  Christians have stopped judging Muslims.  Palestinians have stopped judging Israelis.  The poor have stopped judging the rich.  The right has stopped judging the left.  In Christ there are no “judgy” people.       

Heaven is a place where “the Spirit and the bride say come,” and all who are thirsty gather to drink the water of life.  Because heaven is, after all, the city whose gates never shut, where anyone who wants to enter, can.  Sure, there will be some who, like the elder brother, refuse to go in.  But in the end, who can resist a party?

Heaven is a place where all kings and nations have gathered under the tree of life to find healing in its shade. 

Finally I said, would you like to go to heaven? 

Slowly, reluctantly at first, then more willingly and then more joyfully and fearfully, most of the religious leaders agreed that going to heaven would be a good thing.  So, we prayed together and we walked out the doors of the place where we had gathered and we took our first tentative steps into the kingdom of heaven. 

Then I woke from the heavenly dream that is, according to Jesus, even now becoming a present reality.

THE TRUTH

We’re near Holy week, the time in the church calendar when we remember the passion of Christ.  So, I’ve been thinking about a scene from that week.  It’s when Jesus stands before Pilate, the official representative of the Roman government in Judea, his life hanging in the balance.  Here’s the encounter from the gospel of John.

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” (John 18:33-38)

Every time I come to this point in the story I really want Jesus to answer Pilate’s question, but he never does.  Maybe Jesus knew that (in the words of Jack Nicholson) Pilate couldn’t handle to truth.  But apparently, he believed that Thomas could.

A few days before Jesus appears before Pilate, he is with his disciples.  In response to a question from Thomas Jesus says,  “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)  So, what is the truth?  According to Jesus, he is.

Frederick Beuchner once wrote, “Jesus did not say that religion was the truth, or that his own teachings were the truth, or that what people taught about him was the truth, or that the Bible was the truth, or the church, or any system of ethics or theological doctrine.”  Beuchner’s right.  While all the things he listed share truth, none of them are the truth, at least not according to Jesus.  According to Jesus the truth is, in a word, Jesus.

So if I really want the truth, I have to let the Spirit of God take me beyond a religious system, beyond doctrine or dogma, even beyond the words on the pages of the Bible.  I have to be willing to be exposed to Jesus himself, perhaps through religion or doctrine or the Bible; but it has to be Jesus himself, the heart of Jesus, the raw, radical, undefinable Jesus.  When, and if, I know him, I know the truth.

For example, there is a story in John 8 about the time when Jesus looked at a sexually promiscuous woman and said, “I don’t condemn you.  Go and leave your sin behind.”  Somewhere deep in that story the truth is exposed, if I can handle him.

How about the story of a leper who came to Jesus and said, “If you’re willing, you can make me clean.  Jesus had compassion for the man and touched him and said, I am willing; be clean.  And the man was healed.”  (Mark 1:40-42)  Somehow that story connects us with the truth, if we’re ready for that electrifying connection.

Stories about Jesus eating and drinking at parties where known sinners were in attendance, stories about Jesus castigating the most devout religious people and going home to eat with the most infamously sinful people, reveal the truth, if you want to know him.

The hard teachings of Jesus that include instructions to strip naked so others can have something to wear and to pray for those who beat us up so we can be like our Father in heaven.  The truth is contained in these teachings; not so much in the words themselves (as powerful as they are) but in the person who is audacious enough to say them. 

The truth is ultimately exposed, hanging naked on a cross outside the city gates of Jerusalem.  There he is, asking the Father to forgive his persecutors, instructing a disciple to take care of his mother, speaking words of comfort and forgiveness to one more sinner, crying out to his Father in abandoned agony and giving up his Spirit in the belief that he had accomplished what the Father sent him to do.  There on that cross is the truth, if you can handle the truth.

No wonder Jesus let Pilate’s question hang in the air unanswered.  Some of us, and sometimes none of us, can embrace the answer.  But sometimes, when we can handle the truth, the truth transforms us.  This Lenten season, as we enter into Holy week, may we be transformed by the truth.     

The Gun Control Debate

I’m becoming increasingly concerned about the rhetoric around the gun control debate. The loudest voices seem to promote one of two extremes.

1.  Guns don’t kill people.  People kill people.  Guns have nothing to do with it.  We need “people control” not gun control.  So, parents! Shape up and do a better job raising your kids!  Oh yeah, those who want gun legislation are part of a conspiracy to take away your second amendment rights. 

2.  Guns are extremely dangerous.  If we could get rid of them, or at least get rid of the ones that are the deadliest, our kids could go to school without fear of getting shot.  So, congress! Pass reasonable gun legislation and all will be right with the world.  Oh yeah, the NRA is evil. 

I don’t consider myself an authority on gun control, but I do think of myself as somewhat knowledgeable about human nature in light of the scriptures.  So, I would like to address my friends from both camps.   

First, to my anti-gun-control friends; I agree with your basic argument.  The teachings of Jesus, along with the rest of the Bible, lead us to the understanding that evil (sin) is a problem that begins in the human heart. 

Jesus said things like, “You have heard that it was said to people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement.’  But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to the judgement.”

Clearly, Jesus understood that human evil is not external to the heart but originates in it.  That’s why anger is so dangerous.  It’s the internal condition that, when left unchecked, metastasizes and grows until it expresses itself externally, most of the time in some destructive way. 

This understanding of anger and violence can be seen in the ancient Hebrew story of Cain and Able, the sons of Adam and Eve.  Cain was angry with his brother Able.  God saw the danger of Cain’s anger and counseled him to “master it.”  Cain, however, ignored the warning and finally killed Able.  By the way, the story doesn’t even include a description of the weapon Cain used.  That part seems to be irrelevant to the point of the story.

So apparently, according to the Bible, weapon control is all about self-control.  It’s not about the weapon(s).

Secondly, to my pro-gun-control friends: I agree with your basic argument.  Guns are extremely dangerous and some form of reasonable restriction seems prudent and, in my opinion, consistent with the heart of Jesus.

The gospel writers record a scene in which Jesus takes a child in his arms and tells the disciples that it would be better for a person to have a millstone hung around his neck and thrown into the sea than cause a little one to stumble.  He goes on to tell them that if their hand causes them to stumble, they should cut it off.  Of course, Jesus didn’t intend for people to literally dismember themselves.  But he did seem to indicate that if there’s something we can do (even something drastic) to protect children, we should do it.

So, maybe we should be more careful about our children’s exposure to violence on TV and in video games.  Maybe we should be more proactive about school campus security.  Maybe we should provide more intervention measures for troubled young people. 

And maybe we should pass legislation that makes it hard for a teenager to get an assault rifle.  Maybe we should pass legislation that makes it hard for anybody to get an assault rifle. 

I know the argument that says, “If you outlaw assault rifles, then only the bad guys will have them.”  But, of course, we don’t use that argument for something like underage drinking or texting while driving.  We don’t say, “If you make it illegal for kids under 21 to drink, then only the bad kids will get beer.”  We don’t say, “If you make texting while driving illegal, then only the rebellious kids will do it.”  No! we pass laws intended to protect our kids and then enforce them the best we can.  So maybe we should do the same thing with gun control legislation.

The question is, will we come together, ignore the rhetoric of the extremes, ignore those who use fear to motivate, and do what we can to save human beings.

A prayer, taken from The Book of Common Prayer, seems appropriate.

“Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the people of this land], that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen”