It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.(Gal. 5:1)
One of the neat things I learned at seminary was how the writers of the New Testament began to proclaim Jesus as Lord. While we, sitting some 2,000 years hence tend to simply accept the title in a manner that we would accept any other title, i.e., Doctor, etc., this was not so simple in 1st century Rome. Then there was one lord and his name was Caesar. To dispute this was a one-way ticket to crucifixion. Read the gospels. Jesus was convicted of claiming to be a king. Not something one wanted to do if one had hopes of living a long time.
Another thing that came from the idea of Jesus’ lordship was that worship was directed to Yahweh through Jesus alone. In a pantheistic culture this was somewhat of an anomaly. To add to this, one of the deities to be worshiped and sacrificed to was none other than the lord Caesar. For the apostles and the early church, then, worshiping One God and proclaiming Jesus the Messiah as Lord created a double-whammy of perceived apostasy and treachery. Paul, Peter and James encouraged the churches that they wrote to with a message of perseverance in the face of cultural pressures to ‘return to the fold.’ The gospel writers, also, seemed to present their narratives with encouragements to the respective audiences they wrote for.
The people who chose to follow The Way were persecuted for being contrary to the accepted system. The Pax Romana was a big part of that system. Of course, it was peace at the tip of a sword, but it worked. We can read how Paul got in trouble because he ‘made waves’ that could have brought the weight of the Pax down on the heads of the locals. He taught things that were unlawful for Roman citizens. Things like a God other than the accepted gods; a Lord other than Caesar. No more idols.
And the result? A world turned upside down. Culture changing acts of political defiance.
What does any of this mean for us today? I think more than can be discussed in a blog post. But, we can take a moment to reflect on what idols and gods we have accepted. Perhaps, that green guy George? What about American exceptionalism? For sure the triune god of our age; “Me, Myself and I.”
The message that the apostles proclaimed directly confronted the gods of their age. It proceeded with power. Power to transform lives and culture. Does the message we bring have that power? Do our attempts to argue and explain things like justification and sanctification make any real difference to those who are pressed down and broken by the gods of our time? Where is the power that goes along with the proclamation? I think that we have become disconnected from our Source. In order to see the light of the Gospel chase the darkness of culture that light needs to shine into the deep darkness of our souls and our churches. It’s hard work. It’s dangerous work, just ask Jesus. But, it”s necessary work.
The following article showed up at Jesus Creed today.
I have spoken out on issues that are clearly political. I will continue to do so.
At least when I feel that there is some injustice or oppression involved.
This article reveals, though, something that I have been afraid of for awhile.
People in the society at large are tuning out, or worse, becoming hostile to people
injecting faith into the political process. I have to admit that much of what some
folks, particularly politicians, have to say regarding faith is not appropriate. But, this
is America. Folks have a right, and in some cases a duty, to speak their minds.
It would be nice, however, if every now and then they would think first.
Anyway, here is a link to the article:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2012/03/26/evangelicalisms-political-sin/
Ah, yes…the good old days. Ward and June Cleaver, Ozzie and Harriet, Archie and Edith. One man; one woman. What ever happened to those days? Why can’t people in the U.S. simply leave the biblical model of marriage alone?
My dear Dr. John Byron over at Biblical World has an interesting note today. I guess, when one asks what ever happened to the good old days, we can say they never really existed. Hollywood and Madison Ave. built an image that never had any basis in fact. At least, not a fact that could translate to anywhere else in the world. Before we continue to lift up some idealized image of marriage, perhaps we should see what God had to say.
You can read Dr. John’s blog here:
http://thebiblicalworld.blogspot.com/2012/03/is-this-biblical-marriage.html
I attended a men’s breakfast this morning. Good food! After the meal one of the leaders of the church usually gives a short presentation about something ‘manly.’ Today’s topic came from the experience of one of the co-pastors. He shared about his son’s graduation from basic training and how these young men and women were being equipped to take their place in the defense of the U.S. He spoke of the discipline, honor, and respect required of each individual and group. These young people are well prepared to focus on their task. There is much we can learn from this type of training in our spiritual lives, as well. But, that’s a topic for a different time.
This pastor took the topic in a direction that many fundamental evangelicals like to go. He described the siege that we are a part of in the West in general; America in particular. According to him, the church has given back whatever “territory” it has held to Satan. This capitulation will, then, inevitably lead to a conflict in which the church will suffer persecution and loss. He has, in so many words, described one of the ‘refuge responses to culture’ that Reggie McNeal wrote about in A Work of the Heart: How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders. He wrote that one response to what is a perceived hostile culture is “withdrawal-reactionary.” Leaders with this perspective see the culture as “the world” that should be “avoided as a dangerous sphere of human activity that threatens the Christian culture.” Now, this particular pastor will disagree that he advocates dissociation with the culture. He has stated that we must engage the people in the culture with the gospel. However, the gospel that is presented does not speak to the culture. Many, in fact, simply view it as irrelevant.
But, the end-game is the same. Because we have ‘lost ground’ and capitulated to an ‘enemy,’ we must then take up the battle and try to ‘restore’ the ‘good, christian values’ that once reigned supreme. In this battle there will be casualties. In fact, these are to be expected, and apparently, embraced. These will be martyrs to the cause of the cross.
I have problems with this on more levels than I can articulate now. If we are in a battle, who is the enemy? For many of these folks the enemy is anyone who is not ‘with us.’ They are ‘other.’ If they want to become something acceptable, they must become ‘us.’ This disqualifies any liberal thinker. Forget about the environment. It’s not important because it’s going to be burned up in the end anyhow. And, it’s more important to make sure that the pews in heaven are filled than to live for justice in this world. I think what scares me most is the pseudo-martyr attitude that is becoming more prevalent. We’ve seen what this has done in radical Islam. In fact, we’ve seen it in radical fundamentalism in Christianity. Shootings in churches and bombings of abortion clinics ring loudly in the ears of many.
Yes, I agree with him that we are in a battle. And, it’s a fight to the death. Our enemy, however, is not the abortionist or Barak Obama. Our enemy is unseen. He fights with deception and stealth. He has been likened to a ravenous lion searching for people to devour. He is the power behind the systems that oppress and imprison. Greed, poverty, hunger, war, hate and intolerance. He can only be defeated by prayer and a willingness to be light and salt in this culture…here; now. I know I have not done justice to this topic. There are so many dimensions and nuances to Biblical cultural engagement. But, this is important. We are not fighting people. Humans are the image-bearers of their Creator. They are all, each and every one, significant and important to Yahweh. They need to be honored and respected as such.
Henri Nouwen wrote in Turn My Mourning into Dancing about how people are many times driven by fear of losing something that they have. We fear burglary, so we spend thousands on home security. We fear losing status, so we try to paint a face on ourselves that elevates our standing. We fear this and that, so we focus on taking whatever measures we deem necessary to protect and hang onto these things. The scripture teaches that God is not a God of fear. Yahweh is all about love and security. Nouwen’s argument leads us to try and simplify our lives by letting go of things. When we realize that we cannot hang onto them anyhow, where is the sense in tenaciously clinging to stuff that is going to pass away? Jim Elliot wrote, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” True words.
I’d like to take this idea a step further. There are many people in the U.S. who make the argument that this country was built on “Christian” ideals and principles. This allows them to equate anything patriotic with the “Judeo/Christian ethic.” (Whatever that is.) This includes the concept of Manifest Destiny, unfettered capitalism, white patriarchy, and American Exceptionalism. It also creates an environment where we need to have the biggest, baddest military and economic system so that we can protect what is perceived to be ‘ours.’ And, whatever is ‘ours’ is our right to claim as Americans. We live in constant fear that some country or power or terrorist organization will try to take what is ‘ours.’ We justify these actions by quoting some scripture taken out of context.
When I read the scriptures, however, I find a different view on things. I see what Nouwen wrote about. I find Jesus as a servant calling others to service. I find that detachment from stuff is the road to happiness and contentment. I find a rich guy who was told that he lacked one thing. He should go and sell his stuff and give to the poor. Then, follow Jesus. Perhaps if the U.S. was to actually take a Judeo/Christian view and, say, forgive the crippling debts of developing countries, particularly in Africa that we could, as a nation, make a positive impact in the world. Maybe, if we took Jesus’ words to forgive and pray for our enemies Iran and others would not consider us the Great Satan. We could become a true expression of Jesus’ love for the whole world. This was evidenced by his obedience to the Father in laying down his life for the world. What better example of “letting go” is there?
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The recent uproar in Afghanistan reveals a tragic gap in how people view others. The president and his military team have been quick to point this up as an accident. No one in an American uniform would intentionally destroy sacred documents. There are procedures for these kinds of things. Over the years I’ve noticed, though, that accidents tend to be more likely when people don’t pay attention. I raised 2 kids. I know what happens when people don’t watch what they’re doing. However, it seems that when someone holds something to be important and worthwhile, she/he tends to pay closer attention. This helps keep the accident to action ration way low. I think that if we begin to view Afghans and other Muslims as significant, and not all terrorists, we may see fewer accidents happen. No, we don’t have to agree with everything that is taught in Islam and other cultures. But, we do have to remember that they are created in the image of God and are deserving of care and respect due God’s ‘very good’ creation.
Leave a CommentIf anyone knows me, or reads the stuff I write, it will not take them long to realize that I am not a fan of John Piper. There are many reasons, but most of all, I am not a biblical literalist or fundamentalist of any flavor. Linked to this post is a blog post by Ben Witherington III. I have great respect for Dr. Ben as a New Testament scholar and brother in Christ. In this post he, too, takes exception to something that Piper stated at a conference. Within Witherington’s post is a link to that address by Piper. I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. Ben. And, I would even take his position further. Maybe more on that at a later time.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/bibleandculture/2012/02/12/john-piper-on-men-in-ministry-and-the-masculinity-of-christianity/
I’ve recently been going over my materials from one of my classes at seminary. It was “A womanist hermeneutic.”
The class has become the focus of much reflection of late. What is the impact of locating one’s life within the reality that race, class, and gender are cultural areas in which a dominant culture oppresses and subjugates the ‘other’? The womanist theologian looks for ways to read, interpret and apply the scriptures in such a way that true egalitarianism can emerge. Not sameness. But, to allow each person created by God to find and define their own identity and place within the Reign of God in this world. One thing that stuck out was the issue of being a servant. Jesus stated that he had come to serve, not to be served. What does this say to us who look to Jesus as Lord and Master? I guess and even more primary question would be why was it necessary for Jesus to demonstrate service? In a narcissistic world, one where each person has a subjective need for power and recognition, what better way would there be than for the Creator to show us how? Service need not be weakness. Jesus revealed that true service flows from a position of strength. By exhibiting humility Jesus showed us how to put others’ needs above our own. In fact, through his example true service was revealed to be something that can only be willingly offered to those who require the service. The disciples at the last supper ‘required’ their feet washed. Jesus willingly offered the service, then told them to do likewise.
Service demanded creates servitude. This is wrong and should be called the sin that it is. It oppresses and demeans others. True service lifts the other by demonstrating God’s care for each person. I wish that I could say that we have all learned lesson well. But, in this world there are still those who control the power; political, economic, etc., who demand the uncompromising obedience and servitude of others. We who have achieved great comfort and security need to see whose backs have the imprint of ours and others’ boot heels. Just a thought.