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| It seems to be the message we hear every December, or even sometimes starting long before December. We hear it from sermons, Sunday school lessons, Christian radio, Christian periodicals, mass emails, and certain commentators on television. We can read it on church signs, billboards in some places, t-shirts, sweatshirts and bumper stickers on cars. It is said in various forms. Keep Christ in Christmas is a familiar refrain. In more recent years some Christians get bent out of shape if someone says "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings" instead of "Merry Christmas." One mass email campaign had the idea of sending the ACLU Christmas cards that were marked donations, but instead of having a donation inside said Merry Christmas on them. Somehow practicing deceit is supposed to help spread the message of Christ. Other sayings this time of the year include "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" and "Celebrate Jesus." I have sweatshirts with those last two sayings written on them.
But I wonder with all the competition among Christians trying to prove that each one is less secular than the other, if the very meaning of those words hasn't been lost. Have they, no have WE forgotten why we have this celebration to start with?
Consider the following points:
1. In Christian theology we call what is celebrated at Christmas the INCARNATION. Incarnation means infleshment. In other words something (or someone) came into human flesh. What (or who) was this something (or someone). John 1:14 tells us it was the WORD that became flesh. John's Gospel begins by telling the reader who the WORD is. The Word was with God and the word was God. So, God became flesh. John further tells us what the Word in flesh was called. He was called Jesus. Matthew's Gospel refers to him as Emmanuel, which means God with us. I hope we don't just pass over those statements in the Gospels, but truly reflect on them. How amazing is that? God became human, God dwelt (in a human body) among his creatures. Even while writing this I don't think I truly get how incomprehensible that is.
2. God didn't incarnate himself just to hang out and have a good time with His creatures. He came because He was needed. Humanity had a problem that only its creator could fix. The problem was called sin and the fix is called redemption. Sin is a word that encompasses a lot, but stated in a less theological sense it means "something's not right." A good look at our world today reveals to just about everyone that something is not as it should be. I remember reading what an atheist wrote a few years back when he said he didn't believe in God, but looking at the world he was convinced there is a devil. Something is wrong. Jesus came to right the wrong. Christians have come up with different doctrines and theories over the years as to exactly how Jesus made right what was wrong. Though there is not agreement as to how it was done, there is agreement as to who did it. It was Christ who accomplished redemption.
3. Christ came because He loved humanity. We are important to Him. We needed Him, but He was under no obligation to meet that need. Nevertheless, He freely and willingly came to meet our deepest need. Jesus Christ was clearly devoted to humanity, the question is, are we devoted to Him?
One of the problems with Christmas hymns is that people are often only familiar with the first verse of each of them. The first verses aren't bad, but often the latter verses are better. I'll close this post with what are usually the 3rd and 4th verses in most hymnals of my favorite Christmas hymn "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
How silently, How silently the wondrous gift is given
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven
No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive Him still the dear Christ enters in.
O Holy Child of Bethlehem descend to us we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today
We hear the Christmas angels, their great glad tidings tell
O come to us, Abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.
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| What more basic subject to write about than that of the Bible itself. I plan on writing several posts on this subject, and apologize that is has been several months since my last post.
The bible is still one of the most sold books in the world, and probably one of the least read as well. It is printed in over 400 languages around the world. In the English language there are multiple translations. It is the one book that one can pretty safely say has been read somewhere every day for centuries.
For Christians the Bible is very important. Christians refer to it by many titles and descriptions. It is called the Word of God, the Word of the Lord, simply the Word, Holy Scripture, God's Story, the Sword, the Gospel Gun, the Good Book as well as several other titles. Despite their other disagreements, Christians are generally agreed that the Bible was inspired by God (though they are not in agreement as to exactly what that means). Evangelical Christians tend to affirm the Bible as their source for matter of belief, worship and ethics, not a source, not even their prime source, but their only source. Protestant reformers referred to this doctrine as Sola Scriptura (Latin for Scripture Alone). Whereas Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and some Protestant Christians affirm church traditions, councils and creeds as also holding authority, Evangelicals reject this. This isn't to say that they reject the traditions or creeds per se, but that they reject them as holding any authority for the church. Many Evangelicals, for example, believe and even recite the Apostles Creed in their churches. They believe it to be true, but they believe it is true because it conforms to what they believe the Bible teaches.
However, it is pretty easy to see that not all Evangelicals agree as to what Scripture teaches. In my own background for example I am a Baptist. Baptists themselves do not agree as to exactly what Scripture teaches. Baptist churches have not only disagreed but split on the following issues.....eschatology, Calvinism/Arminianism, whether or not a divorced person can serve as pastor, whether or not a woman can serve as a deacon, the type of music used in worship, the spiritual gifts (especially speaking in tongues) and in times past whether to worship on Saturday or Sunday. The interesting point to note is the parties on both sides of the issues mentioned claimed that the Bible supported their respective positions. Keep in mind, this is just among Baptists. Other churches and denominations can claim similar happenings. The question has often arisen from Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox corners as to why, if the Bible is sufficient as a source for authority in these matters, is there so much disagreement among Evangelicals about these things. As an Evangelical I'll admit that's not an easy question to answer. I'm not really even going to try to answer it, but in addressing some other points I may do so indirectly.
As a starting point I'll give my own view of the Bible so that everyone knows my own bias. I believe the Bible to be the Word of God given to humanity. I believe it was inspired by God. Further posts will reveal exactly what I mean and don't mean by these statements.
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| Today is the day in the Christian year that is referred to as Palm Sunday. It is called so because as Jesus made His entry into Jerusalem for the last week of His life on earth, the people greeted Him with palm leaves. They also shouted "Hosanna to the Son of David."
Sometimes people wonder how it is that the same people who cheered and adored Jesus on Sunday could be calling for His death less than a week later. That can be explained by understanding what it was the people were actually doing. Son of David was a phrase that was used to mean the Messiah. So, the people recognized that Jesus was the Messiah. That wasn't the problem. The problem was what they were expecting the Messiah to do. Hosanna means deliverance or salvation. But, it wasn't deliverance from sin they were hoping to find, but deliverance from the Imperial Romans. The Palm Branches were a national symbol for Jews, similar to the bald eagle or Stars and Stripes in the United States. It was meant to evoke patriotism and nationalistic fervor. The people cheering for Jesus on that day were looking for a military/political Messiah, not a deliverer from their own sins.
It's worth thinking about, that many people today still want a Jesus for that same purpose. Maybe not to deliver them in a military fashion, but one who will make life easier for them. In other words, one who will deliver them from all the problems of life except their biggest one......their own sinfulness. Jesus may or may not deliver us from the problems of everyday life, and it certainly isn't wrong to ask Him to do so. What is wrong is to expect deliverance from problems (which is the result of sin) and not desire deliverance from the sin itself.
As this holy week begins, maybe we be seeking Jesus to first and primarily to free us from our own selfishness,
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| "I don't know" is difficult for most people to say. Next to saying "I was wrong" they may the most difficult words to say. In some ways they are even more difficult to say than "I was wrong." For one has to know the truth in order to admit error, but to admit ignorance one is admitting that he does not know the truth.
Why is it so difficult for us to admit we don't know something? Perhaps because we like to everything figured out, and to confess to ignorance means that we do not. It also causes us to come face to face with our own limitations. Plus we want other people to look up to us, so being able to answer any and all questions helps keep us on that pedestal. I'm certain that there are dozens of other reasons also.
What really disturbs me though is that some Christians are so certain of things of which we perhaps should be a little more ignorant. I read an interesting statement from a commenter on another blog recently. It went something like this......"I have no trouble in believing Christianity is true, as opposed to Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Atheism, etc. What I have the problem with is knowing which version of Christianity is true." In other words, this reader had no problem believing in what C.S. Lewis called Mere Christianity. His trouble was in figuring out which church, or which theological system, had all the right answers. Reading his comment my thought was "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean." Returning to the first sentence of this paragraph, it disturbs me that some Christians have no problem answering this reader's dilemma. Their answer is simply, "We're right, how could you not figure that out?" These folks further refuse to entertain the idea that they could be wrong. Nor do they want to listen to any one who thinks differently.
Before I go any further, let me discuss some of the issues over which Christians disagree, about which some are so convinced that they are right.
1. The Calvinism/Arminianism debate. Within this whole debate arises issues of human depravity, predestination, the extent of the atonement and the security of the believer. As a former seminary student I have seen some of the biggest arguments arise over this debate. And, yes, I was often one of the instigators of those arguments.
2. Eschatology. That's a rather fancy word for the doctrine of the end times. There are those who believe whole heartedly in dispensationalism as popularized in the Left Behind series. There are others who hold to views such as postmillenialism or amillenialism. These arguments can get very heated as well.
3. Spiritual gifts. The gift of tongues is usually the one that causes the most arguments. There are those who are convinced that the gift of tongues is essential for the church today and those who believe it ended with the apostles.
That's just a few examples of the debates between Christians. There are many more on the beliefs and practices of the church. My purpose here isn't to try and resolve any of them. My purpose is to try and examine the attitudes of those who hold to one view or the other.
To repeat, it disturbs me that some Christians are so certain on these areas where perhaps we should be a little more uncertain. What may be worse is the pride that goes along with the certainty. I've seen Calvinists who absolutely refuse to admit that they might be wrong in even one area. Same with Arminians, same with Dispensationalists, same with Charismatics, same with Noncharismatics, etc. Of course, if I'm right and you are wrong, then I have no problem thinking I'm better than you. In fact, you obviously have a problem because you can't see the truth like I can. One can easily see how that attitude can quickly lead to arrogance and pride.
Let me state that I have my opinions on all the issues I listed above. Some of them I have changed over the years, some I've been fairly consistent on. But most of them I hold with a lot less certainty now than I once did.
There is an old Christian saying about areas of disagreement. It goes something like this, "In essentials Unity, in nonessentials Liberty, and in all things Charity." When it comes to essential matters such as the Trinity, the virgin birth of Christ, His sinless life, His death, burial and resurrection there must be agreement or unity of belief. In nonessential matters, like the three mentioned above and others, there is liberty, or freedom to disagree and discuss them. In all things there must be charity, or better said Love.
Someone asked me how would I handle disagreements. My answer is the three Ls, those are Love, Listen and Learn. When there is a disagreement we start off by loving the person (or persons) with whom we disagree. This is the first step. It's very difficult to look down upon someone that you really love, regardless of how much you disagree. It's also worth mentioning that Jesus said the world would know His disciples by how they loved one another, not by how orthodox their doctrine was. The second step is to listen to the other person. Listening is a lost art it seems today. Listening doesn't just mean that you don't make noise while the other person is speaking, though that might be a good first step for some of us. It means we have an open mind and realize we could be wrong, and it acknowledges that the other person might have something to say that is worth us hearing. Finally, learn from the other person. The other person may have something to say that I hadn't thought of before. It might change my whole way of thinking on a given topic.
To do those three things, the 3 Ls, may require a good dose of that Christlike quality that seems so lacking today, HUMILITY. Among other things, humility recognizes that I'm not God and hence I don't know everything. And that is a lesson I'm still trying to learn.
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| Ok, I'm going to write this post in a dialog form. With the change in color is also the change in speakers.
"Behind these four curtains you see are 4 different versions of Jesus. One of which is the Jesus of the gospels."
"Ok, well tell me about them."
"Very well, behind curtain #1 is Jesus the lottery ticket."
"Jesus the Lottery Ticket? Did I hear that right?"
"Yes you heard it loud and clear."
"Why is he called that? explain."
"Well, this Jesus is the Jesus that promises health and wealth to everyone. Now there are some different varieties to this Jesus. To some he's a self help coach, who teaches you the secrets to great success. To others he has more of a spiritual role, he is one's cosmic servant to do one's bidding in heaven and on earth, although this version has a lot in common with the Jesus you'll meet behind curtain #2."
"And, this Jesus isn't the Jesus of the gospels?"
"Oh no. Now the Jesus of the gospels did miracles, such as healing the blind and even raising the dead, but He never actually promised health to anyone and certainly never promised wealth to anyone."
"Gotcha. Well, what about Jesus behind curtain #2?"
"One more thing about Jesus #1 here. As you might guess he's very popular with Americans. He allows you to chase the American dream without feeling the least bit guilty over it."
"Yes, that makes sense."
"Now to Jesus behind curtain #2. This Jesus we call Jesus the localized deity."
"Deity means God right?"
"That's right."
"This must be the Jesus of the gospels, because I remember Him being called Emmanuel or God with us."
"That's true, but this Jesus isn't him. That's why he's called the LOCALIZED Deity."
"Could you explain?"
"You'd have to understand the ancient world a bit for this one. In the ancient world each community, or sometimes groups of communities, had their own god (or gods). And people would worship and offer sacrifices to these gods to appease them. To put in modern language, they didn't want the gods to get ticked off at them."
"I see."
"So, if you didn't want the crops to flood, you offered a sacrifice to the river or weather god. If you wanted to be safe on a journey across the sea, you offered a sacrifice to the god of the sea or ocean."
"So, what is this Jesus like?"
"Well, the localized deity Jesus is worshiped so that bad things don't happen to you. Or, as was the case with the ancient gods, people tried to manipulate them to get what they wanted, this is what I meant when I said the version of Jesus the Lottery ticket that viewed him as being in heaven to do our bidding. This Jesus can be manipulated to do what you want and to get what you want. People who advocate this call it 'name it and claim it.' Jesus is thus obligated to do what they want him to do."
"And this Jesus isn't the one of the gospels either?"
"No he isn't. The Jesus of the gospels is the Son of God and He can't be manipulated, appeased or tricked into doing something. He did His Father's will, if people asked for something according to His Father's will He granted it, if not He didn't. Two of His disciples found this out, they would be the brothers James and John."
"OK, what about curtain #3?"
"This Jesus is Jesus the roofer."
"Roofer? Explain that to me."
"Whenever you have a leak in your roof you call the roofer right?"
"Yes."
"OK, well that is what people do with this Jesus. Whenever they have a problem they call on him to fix them. Sometimes these people are so impressed with the work that he does that they try to get other people to call on him as well."
"Well, now that sounds more like the Jesus of the gospels."
"Well, he's a lot closer to it than the other two, but not quite it."
"Why is that?"
"Two reasons. One the Jesus of the gospels never promised to fix all the problems his followers faced, at least not in this lifetime. In fact, he flat out told them to expect problems in this world."
"I remember reading that now."
"But there is one bigger difference between this Jesus and the Jesus of the gospels."
"And that is........."
"Well, when the roofer is finished fixing your roof, even if you praise his work, think he is a genius and go tell other people about how great a work he does, you expect the roofer to go home."
"Well, yeah, it would be kind of strange for him to hang around my house after he was done."
"You are right. And that is how the believers in Jesus the roofer see Jesus. They call on him to fix their problems but they don't want him hanging around afterwords. And they certainly don't expect him to try and take over the house, you'd probably call the police on your roofer if he did that regardless of how good he was."
"Yeah, I sure would."
"Well, you see the Jesus of the gospels called on people to follow Him. He wasn't just a fix it man, or fix it God for that matter. He wasn't around just to solve the problems in their lives. He was there to take over their lives."
"Now, I see what you mean."
"OK, ready to lift curtain #4?"
"Yeah."
"Behind this curtain we have the Jesus of the gospels. This Jesus told people to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him as just mentioned. He told people their lives did not consist in the amount of money and possessions that they acquired. He said they couldn't serve both God and Wealth. He told them to love their enemies. He told them to forgive others. He told them to seek God's Kingdom and Justice first. He told them that greed, hatred, lust and pride were not the values of His Kingdom. He told them those who humbled themselves before God, God would exalt......as well as the other way around. He told them to love people who were different from them. And He told them He was God's promised Messiah. The people of His day didn't care for that too much, to put it mildly, so they had him killed. But, little did they know that was part of God's plan all along, and even though they had Him killed. God brought Him back to life."
"Yes, that is the Jesus of the gospels."
"You've probably noted that this Jesus isn't very popular today either. Many people claim to believe and worship this Jesus, but in reality they have him mixed up with one of the Jesus' behind the first 3 curtains."
"Yes, I see that."
"So, there you have it. The four curtains have been lifted. We have Jesus the lottery ticket, Jesus the localized deity, Jesus the roofer and the the Jesus of the gospels. WHICH JESUS DO YOU WANT?"
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