Sowing the Seed

I often wonder about the parable of the Sower. The story we get seems really condensed. Now, I know I’m not a farmer, so this story doesn’t hit me as hard as it did Jesus’ audience. But, bear with me a second.

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells the parable about the farmer out sowing seed. Some seed fell on the path, others fell in rocky soil, and still others fell among the thorns. None of those seeds bore any lasting results. But, the seed sometimes fell on good soil, and there is produced a huge crop of abundance. Jesus later goes on to explain that the seed is the Gospel of the Kingdom, and the farmers are us. Although it isn’t stated, each of us has been given the task of sharing the Good News with every person that we meet. That doesn’t necessarily have to be overt; sometimes it is just a smile, a nod, or a kind word. But each of us is called to scatter seed.

However, I have often wondered about this parable… Each time I share the Gospel with someone, it is immensely personal. It usually develops out of relationship, as we begin to share the most important parts of our lives with one another. Sometimes the Gospel takes root and multiplies in that person’s life; but sometimes it is like the three other types of soil, being choked out or stolen away or trampled on. Each time I see the person not respond, it hurts and sometimes feels a little personal. Maybe if I had only done better, or said something in a different way, or didn’t push at this instance, or maybe if I’d just pushed a little harder… Jesus seems to gloss over the personal nature of evangelism, comparing it simply to a farmer out tossing seeds around.

Yet maybe it is a good analogy. The farmer’s livelihood depends on the productivity of that seed, and he works them and makes them grow. His life and his hope are wrapped up in the seeds’ response. Yet it is God who causes the seed to grow. We aren’t always called to bring in the harvest; we can’t make the seed take root and grow. We are simply called to sow and cultivate seed. Maybe the seed will stay dormant for many years, suddenly springing up and thriving. Maybe it will be carried away, only to be dropped into good soil when the moment is right. We aren’t called to be successful, just to be faithful. So, keep on sowing the seed, Farmers for the LORD. You never know what harvest God will provide.

The Anti-Religious Jesus

“But don’t worry… I’m not religious.”

Those words characterize a number of the conversations I have had with KU students over the past two years. So many people on campus are afraid of being religious. Indeed, it has become something of a taboo. “Thou shalt not be religious!” seems to be the mantra of many young people I meet. I recently passed by a car with the bumper sticker: “The Religious Right is Neither.” People think being religious is a bad thing.

Is it? Is being religious necessarily bad? Well, the answer seems to be both yes and no. “Religion” teaches us what God requires of us; it calls us to live by a certain standard and a moral code. It calls us to the recognition of something greater than ourselves.

Yet Jesus called us to more than just religion. In fact, Jesus did not get along well with religious people! (Or at least those who thought of themselves as attaining their own salvation through their works.) In Matthew 23, Jesus confronts the VERY religious Pharisees on their own self-righteousness. He lovingly refers to them as “snakes” and “broods of vipers.” “You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are” (Mt. 23:15).

Jesus calls his disciples to a higher calling than just being religious. Religion is about what we do to attain salvation. Christianity is about the God who has already provided salvation for those of us who believe and obey. Jesus doesn’t call us to be religious; he calls us to be a part of The Way. Christianity isn’t just a religion; it is a way of life that calls us beyond rules and regulations and closer to the heart of God.

So go out and don’t be religious. Instead, live by The Way of God, loving people and showing them through your lives the God who loves them too.

Cultural Lenses, Part 2

I want to post a response to a blog Scot McKnight wrote yesterday. This was my thought on this idea:

I think Wright is right on point about our culture affecting our reading/understanding of Scripture. Almost everyone we read in seminary is a dead white guy, whose understanding of Scripture has been influenced by Tubingen, Calvin, Barth, Luther, etc. But the interesting thing is what happens when we expand our cultural worldview.

First of all, the Bible is primarily written from a Semitic, middle-eastern worldview. As Christian we extrapolate our understanding from what we hear and read, but the understandings gleaned by present-day Bedouins on parables is probably closer to the real meaning than what we hear on Sunday mornings.

I think one of the things we must do is move beyond our Western understanding of Scripture. There are valuable insights to be gained from our African, Asian, and South American brothers and sisters as they attempt to wrestle with Scripture and God's revelation. To simply say that dead white guys have it figured out is, quite frankly, and insult to the Bible, which has truth to teach to all mankind, regardless of their culture.

I think the moment that we neglect to understand that the Bible was not written to us, but we try to understand God in light of our own cultural understandings, we immediately limit our understanding of God and his mission.

What do you guys think? Am I wrong?

Biblical History (Part 2)

What is the Bible, exactly? I believe that this is the question that MUST be answered before we ever attempt to tackle the problem of "historical reflection."

In all of my discussions I try to help people understand that the Bible is the story of God's interaction with humanity, starting with the first humans, moving through Israel, and then the whole world. My understanding of the Bible is this: "The Bible is the story of the lengths that God is willing to go to in order to redeem his people." Pretty simple, yet so complex.

The Bible really serves three functions:
1. History
2. Literature
3. Theology

The Bible always works from those perspectives, BUT not all three have to be present at any given time. The section being read could be literature and theology, but not history. (Song of Solomon, anyone?) The story can be historical and theological, but not very literary. (The first few chapters of Numbers or the book of Ezra comes to mind.) The important thing to remember is this: No matter what the story concerns, its ultimate goal is to present a theology of Go.

The Bible finds various individuals wrestling to come to grips with a God they don't understand and cannot control. The Bible simply outlines the best they can do. Habakkuk's discussion/prophecy is a good example of this. Habakkuk is a prophet, wrestling to understand a message that he doesn't like. He calls God on the carpet and tells him to answer his questions, because the world doesn't seem fair and nothing seems to be going the way it should. The ultimate message is this: you cannot always understand my ways, you simply have to trust that it will all work out in the end.

The Bible deals primarily with theology: Who is God? What is he doing? What is he calling us to do/be? Can we trust in his ways? The Bible displays raw emotion in this search.

Theology is the primary function of the Bible. History and literature form the secondary functions of the Bible. Thus, the Bible is NOT written as history for history's sake. The Bible can even deviate from history in small ways in order to make its point. (For example, many of the narratives in the Gospels are taken in different sequential orders; i.e. the anointing of Jesus before the Triumphal Entry in John vs. the anointing AFTER the Triumphal Entry in the Synoptics.)

I think the problems we encounter in academia is when we try to make the Bible something it isn't. Those of us in the Western world approach the Bible from our own cultural understanding, not realizing (or caring) that the Gospels are written from a different time and place. No matter how hard we try, we will always be saddled with our Western contextual understandings. Thus, we always approach the Bible with some bias, even an unintentional one, and it colors the way we see the text.

The Bible was never meant to be a science book, so toss that understanding out the window completely. It wasn't even written to be a history book, at least not history from our understanding. Rather, it is the history of Israel's (and the world's) interaction with God. This is the purpose that it serves. It teaches us who God is and what he has done so that we can realize what God can (and will) do in our lives.

What are your thoughts?

Biblical History?

Two of the most important questions in the study of history are:
1. What historical sources are accurate?
2. How do we determine the historical accuracy of each source?

This question is used to determine whether or not a source is useful for determining the actual events of the past. All sources are inherently biased in some fashion, because history is always written from a specific point of view. The question a historian wants to ascertain is whether or not the source is useful for examining the past.

I am always intrigued, however, that Biblical scholars systematically reject the historical accuracy of the Bible offhand. Every detail is open to argument and speculation:
David never existed (and any reference to David, i.e. the Tell Dan inscription) must be a forgery or the result of the Davidic myth of Israel

The Israelites were not a pastoral society that broke away from Egypt and moved north, conquering Canaan; instead, they were Canaanites who moved from the coast into the interior. Everything else written about them is a myth used to promulgate the “Davidic” monarchy.

The people of Israel were never absolute followers of YHWH; they followed dozens of other gods and didn’t become strict monotheists until after the Exile, although some scholars argue that THAT event never happened either. (Actually, even the Bible supports the fact that Israel wasn’t very good at monotheism!)

The timing of Jesus’ birth is simply off; astrological events from 7BC, random events from 6-4BC, Herod never kills baby boys in Bethlehem; etc.

The Biblical “Historians” are minimalists; they don’t believe much of it ever happened. They believe you can trust the most basic facts: there are a people called Israel living in Canaan who thought that they were chosen by God and placed in a specific location. And… well, that’s about it. Biblical historians take more of the NT at face value, but they negate any possible ideas of miraculous works, strange events, or the resurrection. Jesus was simply a great rabbinic teacher who taught that the tenets of Judaism were being misapplied. Everything else was made up by the disciples.

The problem is, no one else tries this with other teachings. No one attacks the Quran from an historical point of view; they don’t doubt Mohammed’s existence, even if they doubt things written in it. No one attacks the Buddhist writings for their historical accuracy; they don’t argue that Sidharta Guatama once existed. As for other historical writings: No one doubts the overall accuracy of Julius Caesar’s Gaelic Wars, the writings of Suetonius, the histories of Egypt. No one thinks that Plato never lied, even though he never wrote for himself, his teachings were simply passed down through Socrates and Aristotle. Although we might dispute numbers and smaller events from their statements, we never dismiss them offhandedly or question the authenticity of the individuals they are describing. Even in those religious books we don’t agree with!

Yet this is systematically done to Christianity and the Bible. Even biblical “scholars” like John Dominic Crossan, Michael Borg, Bart Ehrman, etc, argue that the events in the bible are not meant to be taken literally or even historically. Instead, they form a parabolic sequence that describes the growth of Christianity (and Judaism). In The Birth Narrative, Crossan and Borg’s most recent book together, they deny the authenticity of either biblical account of the birth of Jesus. They dismiss not only the virgin birth, but the accounts of Jesus in Bethlehem, the shepherds, the star, the stable, the presence of Joseph… You name it, they discount it.

Where do we start, in a world that sees supposed “biblical” scholars discount the very thing they chose to study?

Saltiness

In the ancient world, salt was one of the most valuable commodities. Much like gold or oil today, salt was desired by all of the nations of the world. Wars were fought over salt; black market deals were made; wealth was made and destroyed… all based on this little white crystal. In many nations salt was better than currency. Roman soldiers were often paid in salt; indeed, the root of our term “salary” is derived from salt!

Salt had many uses in ancient times. It acted as a preservative for meat and other foods, allowing food to be stored for longer periods of time. Salt was also used for flavoring, giving new dimensions to regular foods. And unbeknownst to people in the ancient world, salt is a necessary part of life. It is the basis of the electrolytes that each of us needs for our bodies to function properly. Salt in the right quantities is needed for the body. Interestingly, too much salt is bad for us. It adds to high blood pressure and heart disease. However, most people in the ancient world yearned for salt; it wasn’t readily available or accessible to most people. Indeed, most people couldn’t afford enough salt to meet their needs; they were simply too poor to be able to afford it. Thus, salt was strongly desired by all people.

During Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his disciples that they are this precious commodity. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men” (Mt. 5:13). In Luke 14, Jesus makes a similar statement: “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.” Jesus reminds his disciples that they are the salt of the earth: they have come to bring goodness, taste, and life to people who need it. They are called to be salt so that people can come to know God. Jesus reminds them to always remain distinct and “salty.” The last thing the world needs is for the disciples of Jesus to lose their saltiness and start becoming bland, like the rest of the world. We are called to season, not to “bland” in. Intriguingly, Luke’s version of this story comes amidst the discussion of counting the cost of being a disciple. Jesus tells his followers to decide whether or not it is worth it to them to continue to follow him!

The question still stands for us today: Do we want to be salt or do we want to be bland like everyone else? Jesus calls us to remain salty, and to use this nature to show the world what real life is like. But we have to decide: Is it worth it to be different? Is it worth it to us to NOT be like everyone else? Simply put, are we willing to be salt or do we want to become lifeless (and worthless)? What the world needs is salt. The students of KU need salt in their lives. So do members of your family, your coworkers, your neighbors… The world needs to taste what salt is like through our lives. Ultimately, our example will bring goodness, flavor, and life into a dead, dull, bland world.

Worship and Social Justice (part 1)

Too many of us think that worship is all about our time with God. It's about the songs we sing, the sermon we hear, the Lord's Supper... These are (some) of our acts of worship. We believe that worship is what we do on Sunday mornings when we assemble together. Or, if you were to ask another (more well-informed) Christian, he/she would tell you that worship is more about a lifestyle. Romans 12:1 tells us: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." Thus, worship is about a lifestyle, the way that we act in the various aspects of our lives. It's about bringing God glory and honor in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. It's about the way we treat our co-workers, our friends, our family, the guy we see standing on the street corner... It's about our reaction to homeless people and the poor... And about our reactions to those where God is the furthest thing from their mind.

Let me see if I can illustrate it a little better... If you were to ask an Israelite during the period of the Divided Monarchy, he would tell you that worship involved (1) following the Law of Moses, and (2) offering the proper sacrifices to Yahweh. However, when God was talking to his people he told them that the sacrifices and the Law were a good starting point, but without a life of mercy it was all worthless:

Isaiah 1: ""The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?" says the LORD. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me... wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."

Micah 6:6-8: "With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

A host of other verses make the same requests. God does not need the sacrifices; they are for men, not for God. What God wants is for us to make a difference in the lives of other people... But, let me make a confession: this is REALLY difficult for me to live by.

More to come tomorrow!

Christianity and Politics

This post is simply a copy of a lesson I delivered on Sunday, November 2nd, at Southside. Many of you have asked for a copy of my notes, and others have been involved in discussions with me concerning the political future of America and the election of the new President. I hope these makes sense, and I hope they spur you on to think more critically about a Christian's role in government. Please dialogue with me and let me know what you think...

___________________

Stanley Hauerwas – “Our current social ills in America are forcing us to recognize that they cannot be cured by the techniques of pluralist politics… American political behavior has been very moralistic but (in the end) not very moral.”

THE BIG QUESTION:
To what degree should a Christian participate in government?
Should a Christian be involved in local/state/national government?
Should we vote?
What role does our faith play in our politics?
Should we participate in military service?

Early Christians DID NOT participate in their local government:

Christians persecuted not for their faith but for their unwillingness to acknowledge Caesar as Lord.

The problem was political; the Roman Empire cared very little about anyone’s religious beliefs as long as they would accept Caesar as Lord

Centurions/soldiers were called to give up their position in the military as soon as possible

Etc.

The Churches of Christ (and others in the Restoration Movement) originally held a separation ideal as well.

The Restoration Movement called for Christians to remain separate from their government

However, a number of members were actively a part of the government at all levels

James Garfield became the 20^th President of the United States

Lipscomb (et al) called for all members of the CofC to put their allegiance to God first and stay out of the Civil War

A number of CofC members fought for both sides, however

Big movement within the church to return to Pacifism

Christianity seems to fall on one of two extremes:

Radical political activism, OR

Jerry Falwell, Pat Roberson, James Dobson, Christian Coalition, Religious Right, etc.

Governmental Abstinence

Biblical View

Politics in the Bible

Patriotism comes from the Latin root patria, which means father. Thus, patriotism is the love of one’s fatherland…

Abraham as a Patriarch…

Verses to Examine:

Exodus 19:5-6

God chose a nation, Israel, and chose to work through them

Matt. 22:15-22

Paying taxes to Caesar

Jesus does not tell them to negate their political duties; they are to continue paying taxes, etc.

Matt. 17:24-27 – Temple tax

Part of being a Jewish male

Active vs. Passive participation:

At this point some of you might be saying, “Ok, we are citizens and called to support our government passively through taxes, but does that mean that we are to play an active role in politics?”

Which is an EXCELLENT question, by the way!

I believe the answer is “Yes!”

Early Christians were not above using their citizenship:

Paul is a Roman citizen and uses it to his advantage in different situations

Acts 16:37-40

Acts 22:25-29

Paul tried to reach people from all social spheres, but intriguingly we find him talking to governmental officials:

Acts 13:12 – The proconsul of Cyprus

Acts 16:29-33 – The Philippian Jailer (a governmental position)

Acts 24-26 – Paul’s trial before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa

Philippians 4:22 – Those in Caesar’s household

Part of being salt and light

Matt. 5:13-16

Romans 13:1-7

Paul tells the Christians in Rome to stop defying the government

Sounds like they are refusing to pay taxes or even acknowledge the governmental officials…

Intriguing, because the first instances of persecution happen in Rome

Instead, acknowledge that God is in control and has a purpose…

Our Role as American Christians

Which of these political positions would you consider Christian?

- Pro-life/anti-abortion
- Welfare and care for the poor
- Providing medical help to those who can’t afford it
- Protection of the environment
- Peace from war
- Against homosexuality
- Social security and care of the elderly
- Immigration issues
- Capital punishment
- Separation of church and state
- Public prayer

***Actually, all of them have some basis in Scripture***

Some are questionable:

Separation of church and state, AND

Capital punishment, since the Bible speaks both for and against it

But all are biblical positions. And intriguingly, they fall on both party lines! Despite what some Christians might tell you, you can be a Christian and be a part of EITHER political party!

So...VOTE!

Not just on one issue!

There are too many interrelated issues!

Do your homework!

Too many issues and positions that are held!

You might like one candidate’s stance on the war but hate their stance on the economy, etc.

How much does character weigh in?

REMEMBER: Ultimately our citizenship is in heaven…

Philippians 3:20 -- "Remember that your citizenship is in heaven..."

Stanley Hauerwas, “Politics, Vision, and the Common Good,” in Vision and Virtue: Essays in Christian Ethical Reflection (South Bend: Fides Publishers, 1974), 234, 236.

Happy Belated All Saints Day!

I’ve never been much of a fan of Halloween. Call me crazy, but I have never been fond of dressing up in a costume, walking around in the cold, and collecting strange candy from even stranger strangers! (Plus, I am not a big fan of chocolate, so I assume that has something to do with it.) But November 1^st, that’s a day I can get into!

Many of us don’t realize that November 1^st is considered a holiday around the world as well. It’s “All Saints Day,” the day when goodness and light reigns after the night of “darkness” before. Now, there are all sorts of rituals that accompany the All Saints tradition from the Catholic and Orthodox churches that I don’t adhere to. But I love the idea of a day that remembers the “saints” that have gone on before us.

In Hebrews 12 we are reminded that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, both those who have gone on before us (some mentioned in Hebrews 11) and others who live around us today (both Christian and non-Christian). We look to those who have gone on before us as our examples and our mentors. He discusses the faith of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, David, and others who served God before us. None of these individuals were perfect but each one was faithful, and because of that they reside in the spiritual Hall of Fame. They serve as our examples. We are called to run in the great race of life, keeping our eyes on Jesus, and surrounded by others who are in the midst of the race as well as those who have gone on before.

The most common term for Christians in the New Testament was “saints” (‘αγγοι). As Paul addresses his fellow Christians he refers to them as saints (2 Cor. 1:1; Eph. 1:1, 15; Phil. 1:1; etc.) As Christians we are all saints. The word literally refers to “holy ones,” people who have been called to be holy. As Christians we are the “holy ones,” even though we haven’t gotten it all together yet. None of us are perfect but hopefully each one of us is faithful. We are called, as saints, to continue the race of life in holiness as we keep our eyes on Jesus, surrounded by others in the midst of the race as well as those who have gone on before.

So, dear saints, Happy Belated Saints Day! I hope it was a blessed one for you! Remember to be faithful this week.

Women's Roles in Worship (Probably Part 1)

Hey guys. I hate leaving my engagement story but I guess I will have to keep blogging. Thanks for all of the well-wishes. I am STILL the happiest man in the world! The wedding will be July 18th in Kansas, so be there!

One of my students from last year recently got in touch with me to ask me a biblical question she is wrestling with: What is a woman's role in church? Here's part of her email:

"Is it ok for girls to read scripture during Bible class at churchand at school?? I've read the Bible about this, and gotten my parents opinion. I would really love to hear your input on this situation.
I know the Bible says for women to be silent during church and to ask their husbands questions afterward...but I don't have a husband (haha). so, do I count as a child? is it based on age or spiritual maturity?"

I have recently emailed my student back, and I am going to share my email with you guys. I would value your input. Some of you will think it is a little to "left-leaning." Others of you won't think it is as "progressive" as you think it should be. Sorry... this is where I sit as I have studied it. I have a feeling my ideas might change as I get older/study more/progress in my faith. BUT... this is where I sit as of now:

-------------------------
Dear _________-

Hey there. Sorry it has taken me a while to get back to you. I completely apologize; ministry/life have both been busy. I hope life is going great for you. How are things with _______?

Getting down to your question: What should a woman's role be concerning scripture reading, worship, etc...

Here are my thoughts (take it for what it is worth.) The passage you are referring to is found in 1 Cor. 15, where it tells women to remain silent in church and ask questions of their husbands at home. Intriguingly, however, we often leave out 1 Cor. 11:5, which discusses what a woman should do WHEN she prays/prophesies in the assembly. Intriguingly, the church in Corinth was (partially) founded by a woman: Aquila and Priscilla were part of Paul's team to reach out to the Corinthian people, and they stayed around after Paul left for another location, and then eventually wind up moving to Ephesus. Interestingly, when we first meet Aquila and Priscilla, Aquila the husband is mentioned first. But throughout the rest of the Bible, anytime they are referred to the Biblical authors put Priscilla's name first. (Quite possibly to reveal who was the more dominant one for the gospel.)

1 Timothy 2:9-15 is also used in our discussions of women's roles in church. It tells us that women are not permitted to teach or have authority over a man, for they must be silent. There are two things I thing that are important to remember here: at this moment Timothy is in Ephesus, where Priscilla and Aquila were (once) workers for the Gospel. Secondly, we don't follow the instructions Paul sets out for men in 1 Timothy 2:8, but we hold 9-15 to be binding.

One of the problems about taking verses of Scripture and quickly trying to build an argument is that we never ask the question, "Why are these things written? What is going on within the churches in Corinth and Ephesus that causes Paul to say these things?" I think the situation is the most important part of the whole question. From reading the entire book of 1 Corinthians, we realize that the Corinthians are having a hard time respecting one another within the church. It seems as if the married women are questioning their husband's abilities to preach/teach the Gospel and making them look foolish in front of the church. In 1 Timothy the cultural situation is even harder to grasp, because the book is written to address Timothy's needs. It seems as if the women are trying to call attention to themselves through their wardrobe/accessories and through their disrespect in the assembly.

Wow, this is really long. I am sorry. Sadly, I'm not even done yet! =)

I think that 1 Cor. 11 sheds some light on women's roles within church. They do have a role; Paul even allows them to prophesy and pray. The question becomes, “Who is in charge?” Paul places women under the authority of men by tossing the argument back to Creation (and in 1 Timothy, by reminding them of the consequences of their disobedience in the Garden.) Paul tells them that Christ is the head of man and man is the head of woman (yours might say husbands/wives, but the words for man and husband and wife/woman are the same.) Thus, men are placed above women in the church. However, we are to also be reminded that Christ is the head of both, and men are to treat their wives with love and respect just as Christ loves the church. We are to place the needs of one another above our own needs.

So… what does all of this mean? I have no idea. =) Just kidding. Here’s what it means for me. I believe that women have a role to play in worship and in Bible class. That is why I ask the girls/young women to read and pray in class. The question is, who is in control? Ultimately, the Bible class teacher is the one in authority. Within the church, it is ultimately the elders who are in authority (under Christ.) Thus, any time I ask a woman to do something in Bible class, I believe that I am helping them fulfill the commandment in 1 Cor. 11, because her “head” is covered by my authority. (Really LOOOOOOOOONG explanation there that I didn’t include here, but I do have a grad school paper I wrote that was 20+ pages long if you are REALLY interested!)

I think we have done women a great disservice by not allowing them to have roles within class and worship. The fact is, women were a large part of early Christianity. The faithfulness of men AND women caused the church to spread, and a number of women are mentioned throughout the later NT for their faithfulness, their desire to serve God, and their willingness to host churches within their homes. There are even female deacons in Scripture (1 Tim. 3:11.)

So, can a woman speak, ask questions, read the Bible, and pray in class? My argument is yes, they can. I would draw the line at preaching, however, because a woman is supposed to be under the authority of a man.

Wow, this is long and I apologize. I hope it helps. If you have other questions, please let me know! I might not have answered them all.

In Christ,
Daniel <><
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What are your thoughts? Where is my logic flawed? (I personally don't think it is.) Please realize this is a SHORTENED version of what I have come to in my own thinking.

I do think that I need to state this: I believe that there are things that women are ALLOWED to do that I am not yet comfortable with. My own personal comfort would be stretched and pushed by my theology here. However, I DO believe that certain worship practices are acceptable and biblical.

What are your own thoughts? Where do you agree or disagree? I value each of your insight and I want to hear from you (whether you agree with me or not.)

Thanks for your time! I have a feeling we will discuss this topic more.

The Bride of Christ

Nothing is more beautiful than a bride on her wedding day! For those of you at Nick and Lindsay’s wedding, you understand what I am talking about. Brides have such a glow as they walk down the aisle, her eyes only on her (soon-to-be) husband. At that moment she is the most beautiful person in the world.

I have always enjoyed turning and watching the groom’s face as his bride walks down the aisle. (And yes, I had the idea before watching “27 Dresses.” Hmm… maybe I shouldn’t have admitted watching that out loud…) His eyes light up, a smile beams across his face, and often tears begin to well up as he sees his beautiful bride coming towards him.

Now, both individuals have their imperfections and their flaws. Neither one of them is perfect. But they have chosen to love one another and dedicate themselves to one another, and at that moment all they see is the perfect person standing right beside them.

God uses this same metaphor to describe his relationship with his church. In Revelation 19, John is invited to the wedding celebration of the Lamb. John describes his vision:

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear…” Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God.”

We, as Christians, are the Bride of Christ! We have been chosen by God to be his bride, his chosen one. Yes, we have our fault and flaws. No, we aren’t perfect. But God has chosen us, and because of that we have been made perfect! And at the moment of that wedding celebration God believes that we are the perfect ones to be standing right beside him. Because of his great love for us we have fallen in love with him.

May we always remain faithful to the one who loves us this much!

Lament as Worship

In American, we believe in “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..." It is our constitutional right, according to the laws of our land. Happiness is anything that makes me feel good, anything that gives me a momentary high or makes me feel better (if only for a moment).I believe that we in religious circles have fallen into the same trap. We believe that God desires our personal happiness, and if we aren’t happy then there must be something wrong with us. How many of you have ever heard the phrase, “God wouldn’t mind. He just wants me to be happy.” One of the ministers who best exemplifies this way of thinking is Joel Osteen, minister of the 40,000 member Lakewood Church in Houston, TX and author of bestselling Your Best Life Now. On his weekly TV program I routinely hear him say something to the effect of, “God will give you fulfillment, he will provide for the new car, he will give you the new job, because God just wants to bless you. He just wants you to be happy.” With all respect to Joel, I wonder if he’s ever read the book of Job or Habakkuk... The fact is, we are so concerned about what makes US happy that we assume that the same things will make GOD happy…

Similarly, I’ve heard this statement too many times before: "You have depression?!? Well, if you just had more faith then you wouldn’t be depressed!" OR “You just need to trust God more…” Or some other version of the same statement.

We are so concerned over our personal happiness that we think it trumps everything else. If we aren’t happy then there is something wrong with me, other people, the world, or (most importantly) GOD! Because God just wants me to be happy.

* I have HUGE theological problems with this mindset, mainly because our own happiness could and WILL lead us to

Aside from the major theological ramifications of this thinking, I have another problem with this mindset: It negates an entire range of human emotion and experience. It essentially tells us that there is no place for sadness, grief, suffering, complaining, etc. It simply tells us that we cannot be CHristians if these things are present! But the fact is that the world is full of suffering, both personal and communal
1. Victims of war
2. Victims of violence: Virginia Tech, etc.
3. Children who are forgotten and abandoned, even within their own homes
4. Etc.

At times our own lives are, at times, full of grief
1. Loneliness: away from home, away from loved ones
2. Lost friendships, lost relationships, lost opportunities
3. Sickness, of yourself or a family member
4. Someone close passes away and you wonder why

I want to tell you a secret: It’s ok to be sad and it’s ok to be angry, and it’s ok to yell and scream at God and wonder why. Indeed, it is the essence of relationship!

Part of a relationship with God is being able to question, to ask the big questions, to have doubts and wonder if God cares.

It’s ok to have times of lamenting towards God. Indeed, what we find out in Scripture is that not only is it ok to lament towards God, it is a part of worship!
It can be worship to question God and to wrestle with understanding him and his ways! Indeed, approximately 1/3 of all psalms are songs of lament.

Guidance from the Lament Psalms:
According to Rodney Plunkett, there are five elements that are typically contained in a lament
psalms
1. Address God: With a term of respect.
2. Complaint to God
3. Request for help
4. Affirmation of trust
5. Vow to praise God
“Lord, here is my complaint, and I trust you to help. And I promise to give you glory!”

Lamenting doesn't mean just complaining about all of our personal problems in our own lives. Laments in the Bible are both 1^st person and 3^rd person: we are learning to lament for ourselves and for others as we live in the midst of community. We are called to lament and question at the injustice, oppression, and violence that goes on around us. Indeed, if we don't I fear we have missed the point. We are called to be angry about the injustice in our world, because these things make God angry too!

Anything worth talking about is worth praying (and lamenting) about. And anything worth praying about is worth doing something about. Thus, we are called to lament AND to be instruments of peace.

Let us live as people who lament about our world but don't just stop at the complaining... Let us be willing to take action as well.

True Love

There is an old song title that sums up the attitude I perceive from many of the students at KU: “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places.”

This week, the University Daily Kansan published their annual “Sex on the Hill” edition. If you didn’t see it, please don’t go looking for it. If you were to peruse the articles within, I think you would come to the same startling realization that I did: everyone is looking for love and acceptance, but they are willing to take whatever they can get.

So many people just want to be loved. They want to feel accepted for who they are (or at least who they are pretending to be.) They want people to value them, to respect them, to see them as worthwhile. They desire nothing more than to have others acknowledge them as important. The problem is, they are looking for this acceptance in all of the wrong ways and they are willing to settle for being used in order to feel “valued.”

As I talk to students, I come to the realization that all of their bravado is simply a mask used to hide the fact that they can’t get satisfaction from the world around them. The choices they make, the things they do, the way they spend their nights and weekends… it all shows that they are looking for a way to fill the void. Don’t worry, they are trying hard. And they are willing to keep trying until they can either find that “love” or dull their pain. We all want to be loved, but if we can’t find true love then we are willing to settle for whatever we can get.

I believe that our job is to give hope to the world. As Christians, our mission is simply to be ambassadors of hope. The hopeful message the world needs to hear is simple and yet profound: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). True love, the most fulfilling and amazing kind of love, can only come from our Father. As John sums up the message of the Gospel he states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his One and Only Son…” (John 3:16ff). This is true love! This is the love that the world has been looking for. This is the love that the world needs to hear about. They no longer have to settle for cheap love or conditional acceptance, because they will never find trueness in these things. They can only find their hope in the one who created them to love them, and who showed his love by giving up everything to be with them.

Now we have to show them how to look for love in all of the right places.

Service with a Smile (for the Kingdom)

As I talk to a number of non-Christians they are turned off by different aspects our Christianity: our perceived holier-than-thou attitude, our hypocrisy, our intolerance, etc. The world views non-Christians as being intolerant of anyone who doesn’t believe the same things that we believe.

Yet, time and again, non-Christians are amazed at the servant hearts of Christian people. They cannot believe that we would willingly give up our time, our energy, our comfort, to go and work with those who need help. They are amazed when they discover that Christians aren’t out doing service projects because they are made to or because it looks good on a college application, but because we want to. It is our chance to serve God by serving other people. In many ways the world doesn’t get it, but they do respect it!

We all have a tendency to get a little caught up in ourselves. Jesus’ own disciples had this same problem. In Mark 10, the disciples had been discussing who was the most important among them and who would be first in the Kingdom. As Jesus overheard these conversations he spoke to his disciples about the most important things in life, he told them this: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). The goal of the Christian life is not to get ahead or to be self-serving but to be focused on others.

Jesus reminds us that service towards others is service towards God. In his parable of the sheep and the goats, the people are judged based on their service towards those in need. The sheep, those who served those in need, are told that because of their service (even in small ways), they have received an eternal reward, for “…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). What an amazing thought: we serve God by serving other people.

We are called to serve other people because Christ came to serve us. If we are his hands and feet, his Body, his ambassadors, and his representatives on earth, than we can do nothing less...

Come and See...

“Come and see…”

These words often precede many hilarious situations in life. These were often the first words uttered by my friends that introduced some of my most hilarious memories from college: “Come and see the huge swimming pool we made in the shower room.” “Come and see the bucking bronco we built in the common room. Wanna be the first to ride it?” “Come and see the skateboard ramp we built out of bunk beds in the hallway.” (Ok, actually that was me... and it wasn't a very clothed activity...Welcome to my college experience...)

Yet this phrase also serves as a prelude to some of the most important or serious things in life as well. “Come and see your new baby daughter.” “Come and see your grandfather for the last time.” “Come and see me, because I am lonely.”

These words can introduce some of the most important moments that we will ever encounter. “Come and see…” It reminds us that there are important things going on in the world, things that we must pay attention to. It requires that we move and act, that we escape from our comfort zone. The word “come” requires us to move from where we are to somewhere else. And we are called to open our eyes, to focus on reality, and see the important things in life. “Come and see” is the prelude to the most important of life’s events.

The greatest movement in the world began with these words. In John 1, John the Baptist tells his disciples that Jesus of Nazareth is the Lamb of God and the one they have been waiting for. Two of his disciples go running up to Jesus to talk to him. They want to know more about this Teacher; they want to hear the things he has to say and understand his teaching. Rather than teaching them or discussing his religious philosophy, Jesus simply tells them, “Come… and you will see.” (John 1:39) At the end of the day these two disciples are so excited that they run off and tell their friends “We have found the Messiah.” Simply by coming along and spending time with Jesus, they have discovered the truth about who he is and their lives will never be the same.

We, too, have been called to come and see. For many of us, this is the reason we became a Christian: we saw the lives of those who followed Christ and we were enamored or intrigued by what we saw. Our job as Christians is simply to be followers of Christ, to spend time with him and see how he changed the world, and then to let that change the core of who we are. Then we, too, can go out and tell others, “Come and see… this man is the one we’ve been waiting for!"

Worship of GOD, not of ourselves

Thought:

We worship God for who HE is, not because of what he has done for us or what we get out of it. Part of God's nature is wrapped up in what he does for us, yet if that is the only reason we worship then we have sorely missed the point. God doesn't exist to serve us; he isn't a genie who does our bidding. Rather, God is qadosh: holy, other, apart. Our worship should flow from who God is, not what we will get out of it or as a manipulation of God...

What are your thoughts?

The Heart of Worship (Part 2)

My biggest pet peeve is this statement: "I just didn't get much out of worship today." (Ok, honestly, my biggest pet peeve is loud teenagers, followed closely by these statements...) Equally as annoying: "I loved worship today, because it was so upbeat and I loved all of the songs."

Most of us worry about what we will GET out of worship rather than what we BRING to worship. Worship has, in essence, become about us. We think worship revolves around what we like, either:
o Instrumental (because we like it), or noninstrumental (because we think you are wrong)

o Contemporary songs vs. Traditional songs

o Clapping/Raising Hands vs. Not

- Worship becomes a war

- Worship becomes a THING rather than a LIFESTYLE

o Worship is reserved for corporate, Sunday/Wednesday

o Worship becomes something we DO, rather than something we ARE

- Worship, in essence, can become an idol

Can I let you in on a secret? Worship isn’t about us! Sorry to burst your bubble. Ok, let me rephrase that differently: Worship isn’t about what we like or don’t like, what we are comfortable with or discomforted by, what makes us happy or “causes us to stumble.” It just isn’t. Worship isn’t FOR US; it is FOR GOD!

Worship comes down to the heart.

Worship: Reflection of the Presence of God (Part 1)

The next few blog posts will be on the nature of worship. I am beginning a new series in my ministry on the "Heart of Worship," and I am trying out a few ideas on this blog. Please let me know your thoughts through your comments and emails. Thanks!

~Daniel <><

_________________

Worship is acknowledgment that God is worthy of our praise. God is holy, other, set apart, distinct. The transcendence of God calls us to worship a God who reigns on high, who created the world and established its foundations, who creates and sustains life, who establishes the universe and sets all things into motion. This alone is cause to worship God. Yet it is only one facet of his character. We also worship a God who is immanent, who interacts with his people and intervenes in their lives.

Throughout the OT, we find God constantly interacting with humanity. Genesis 1-11 tells the story of YHWH's provision even for those who refuse to acknowledge him as God. Genesis 12ff tells the story of YHWH's interaction with humanity through the descendants of Abraham, a Chaldean who moves to Canaan at the command of the LORD. God tells him that God will bless him and increase his family/position/wealth SO THAT, through him, God might bless the whole world (Gen 12:3). God's story is an interaction with the people of Israel as he seeks to accomplish his purposes on the earth through them.

Rather than acknowledging their role in God's plan, the people of Israel find contentment within their own "achieved status." They were Yahweh's people, his chosen race, his kingdom of priests and holy nation (Ex. 19). They were God's favorites, and thus all other peoples were seen as inferior. God reminds them constantly that they were not chosen because of their greatness, their strength, their holiness, or their ability. God chose them specifically because they WEREN'T great, strong, holy, or able (Deut. 7-9). If God hadn't intervened, they would still be slaves in Egypt! But God chose them specifically to be a light to the world. They were to be priests, chosen ones who intervened for OTHERS who were not able to come to God on their own. They were called to be holy (1) because God is holy, and (2) so that the world will notice their distinctiveness and realize the God who causes them to be holy.

God’s charge to Israel was to be a revelation of the immanence of God, to be his presence among the world because he was present with them. Their worship was to be a life that was wholly devoted to the LORD their God. Their lives were to be an offering to God, and he demanded that every aspect of their lives, from their sacrifices to the condition of their homes to the proper way of treating others, and everything in between. Every aspect of their lives was done in worship of the God who created and who still sustains them. Their lives were to reflect the presence of God within their midst. Israel was not called to simply sit back, content in their salvation. Rather, they were called to reflect the presence of God.

Resurrection Motif and the Gabriel Stone

Recently a new archaeological discovery has come to light from the Jordanian banks near the Dead Sea. A local antiquities collector purchased a large stone inscription approximately a decade ago that details (as one archaeologist claims) a messianic resurrection motif that predates the birth of Christ by a few decades. (For more on this story, see the TIME Magazine article at http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1820685,00.html, and the CNN video at http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/07/11/wedeman.gabriel.cnn?iref=videosearch.)

The stone inscription is approximately three feet tall and consists of ink inscribed on the stone, and has been chemically dated to a few decades before the time of Christ. The stone theoretically describes the death of a messianic figure, followed by his resurrection after a short time by the archangel Gabriel. (This reading, however, depends on creative interpretation of a smudged passage on the stone, and thus is not at all conclusive for ascertaining the actual reading of the stone.)

Many scholars have argued that the credibility of Christianity was dependant on the unique nature of the Christian claim. The idea of a murdered Messiah was an anathema to the people of Israel, and was so audacious that the Christian claim had to be true! Thus, the reliability of the Christian message, at least as posited in their arguments, relies on the audacious uniqueness of the Christian message.

And indeed, the idea of a murdered Messiah would have been a shock to the Jews. Although Christians equate the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 (et al) as a reference to Messiah, there is no evidence that the Jews of the day had any similar ideas. The Messiah was the one who was anointed by God to be the Savior of the people of Israel, the one who would drive out the Romans (and any other conquerors), consecrate the Temple by reestablishing the holy worship of YHWH, and establish the eternal reign of God from Mt. Zion. The Messiah was to be God’s chosen instrument to bring peace to the world (and power to the people of Israel) through his military conquest of Israel’s enemies. God would once again reveal his power through his chosen people, and the Messiah would be his instrument of conquest.

(Note: There were as many different Messianic expectations as there were sects/individuals in Israel. These generalized statements sum up the gist of most of their expectations. For more on the Messianic expectations of first century Judaism, see John J, Collins, The Scepter and the Star, and Daniel McGraw, “Messianic Expectations of the Qumran Community in 4Q246 and 4Q521.”)

A few years ago a scholar claimed to have uncovered a Qumran connection to a Suffering Messiah, the Anointed One who died at the hands of his enemies. The passage, however, turned out to refer instead to the conquering Messiah who put his enemies to death, not a suffering Christological figure. Thus, the idea of a Messiah who suffers (or, even worse, dies) would be an anathema to the people of Israel.

The stone, however, has been verified as authentic (at least, at this time.) The question arises: How does the uniqueness of Christianity stand in light of this “new information”?

The Bible itself lends credence to the belief in a resurrection idea that developed during the Intertestamental Period, even a possible form of bodily resurrection. A group of Sadducees ask Jesus about the marriage of a seven-time widow in Matthew 22:23-33 (cf. Mark 12, Luke 20.) We are told here in this passage, as well as in Acts (4:1-3; 23:7-8), that the resurrection was not a concept believed by the Sadducees but was accepted by the Pharisees.

Two of the main sects within Judaism adhered to different ideas concerning the resurrection of the dead. However, none would have tied it to the Messianic figure. Not even the "Murdered Messiah" fragment from the dead sea scrolls (now proved to refer to the Messiah killing his enemies)would make such a claim...

But if it DOES indeed refer to a crucified messiah, does that negate the validity of Jesus' claim? God has already shown us that he works through the cultural and intellectual conceptions of humanity (i.e. Suzrainty treaty outline of Deuteronomy, the depiction of God as a Baal-like figure in Psalms, the similarities AND differences between Genesis 1-11 and other ANE literature.) Why couldn't God chose to work that way again?

What do you think? Log in and let me know your thoughts and responses.