Greetings to all.  I'm sorry to say that I won't be posting today, as I am very ill.  Please keep me in your prayers.  If I get better over the weekend, I'll get the post up before Monday.  Thanks and please stop by a little later.  I pray for you and ask our Father to lavish you with his love. 

Bumper Sticker Christians?

I'm taking a break from breaking down Jonathan's Placard--mostly just because I need to.  We'll finish the left column and begin addressing some serious misunderstandings Jonathan has about the bible on the right side of his placard next week. 

I think one of the things that bothered me the most about Jonathan's placard is that he supposes he can take thousands of years of writings and boil them down to something that the beauty and complexity of a bathroom door sign or a bumper sticker--and with that, he proposes to tell the whole story.  He can't, and we've been covering that over the last three weeks. 

Then it occurred to me that Christians have been doing the same thing for years.  In the last 20 or 30 years we've raised up a whole generation of "Bumper Sticker Christians", who, beyond the catchy, cute, catch phrases on their bumper stickers, and their boastful, loveless condemnation of others, don't really know anything about the Bible, or what it says.

Some of you wonder what I mean by "Bumper sticker Christian", while others know perfectly well what I mean, even if the term is completely new.  Being a bumper sticker Christian doesn't take any effort at all, but living a life worthy of your calling takes a little more attention to detail and it requires us to be thoughtful, and eager to share the love of Christ--more than our opinion. 

If you read the first Chapter of James you get the idea that your life is supposed to be living testimony to the goodness of God.  Let's look at verses 19-26:

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. ²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. ²⁶ Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless."

It takes no effort to slap a sticker on your car, or put a cute tag line on your e-mail signature:  But, how are you doing on James Chapter 1?  I have to tell you there are some days that I don't do so good--on those days especially, my bumper sticker (if I had one) would testify against me to everyone, and then my behavior would become a reason for others to resist salvation. 

Rather than try to find a memorable close this time, I think I'm going to let James' words linger with you.  My prayer is that the Lord will lead people to this blog who needed to see these words. 

Please share with me through your comments if this blog helps you in any way--or if you have questions about anything I write here.  It's very encouraging to me to know that this is reaching you.

You are loved--wonderfully, completely, dearly loved

This is what the Bible says about God's love for you. You don't have to fix yourself to be loved by God. You can come as you are--he knows you aren't perfect; for if you were, his love wouldn't be "unconditional".

If you think "you don't believe" the Bible, I am willing to bet you've never actually examined the Bible with an open heart--and not with the openness you've been willing to examine other philosophies. This is my challenge to you on Valentines day: Let HIM love you. Put your faith in HIM--not people. Even if you just say a prayer like "Hey God, if you are really out there, and you really see me, I'd like to get a message like that from you".

For some who read this, you just got your message. He is not distant and angry. He Love you. Please enjoy this very well done summary of God's love for you. Happy Valentine's Day. Remember, Jesus Loves you and so do I!

Shine on!

The Placard: Part Three

  
As we continue the examination of Jonathan's placard, we'll keep moving down the left side and must point out several problems with how Jonathan misrepresents The Bible on multiple levels.
We've seen the mis-representation of Genesis 2: 24:  Now Let's now see how Jonathan makes an ill-informed indictment on the bible by errantly supposing that the "biblical example of marriage" somehow advocates the practice of having concubines simply because there are stories in the bible about people who had concubines. 

I think the first problem we have with concubines in the bible is the fact that we don't really don't know what concubines are.  If you ask someone on the street "what a concubine is", you are likely to get an answer that somehow implies "prostitute" or "sex toy".  Although there most-probably were men of the age who treated all women in this way, the mention of concubines in the bible is very a very specific reference to the cultural norms practiced by the people who are the characters of the Bible.

In the Bible, the term referred to a lawful wife, but of secondary rank. She was not married by solemn stipulation, but only betrothed; she brought no dowry with her (according to the customs of the time), and therefore had no share in the government of the family.  She could enter into concubinage a number of ways, including offering herself as a concubine to a ruler or influential/wealthy man.  Among the myriad reasons she might have done this are poverty, being widowed, or other ways.  She may have been taken as a slave and later elevated from slave to concubine (wife). 

Just like she could enter into a home she could also be sent away--but not empty handed.  While the patriarch of the house had no reason to "divorce" her (since they were not formally married) he still couldn't send her away empty handed.  He had to obey the customs of the time, which required that she be sent away with "a gift".  This is generally understood to mean money or possessions to help her make an honorable living away from the home. 

Jonathan mentioned Abraham, and cites Genesis 16 as his proof of his claim, which he says in this way:
                               "Man can acquire his wife's property including her slaves". 

This statement is not true--at least, not the way Jonathan infers by the way he says it.  It only takes a casual read of the very text Jonathan cites to make this point clear. 

In casual arguments with no consequences, I can see how someone might accept information from a trusted source and send it on before verifying it.  I don't believe Jonathan was malicious in this error, but there is too much at steak to let it pass without correcting the fallacy that occurs with how language (what is said and what is not), makes the casual reader come to a false conclusion.

Abraham was from the land of Ur of the Chaldeans – a place we know today as Southern Iraq.  He lived and practiced a lifestyle that would have been common to the people of his community and time.  In this community and time, women did not own property and had no possessions that were not given to them by their husbands.  Even when they came into marriage with a dowry, that wasn’t their property; it was their father’s property.
So we see that the idea of acquiring a wife’s property is moot and invalid, since in reality, she had none to begin with.  The wife had (as we'll see in a moment) had a place of honor and influence in the home, and certainly weighed in on the decisions, but it was the husband who owned all.

Before we go any further, let’s read Genesis Chapter 16, and start from verses 1 through 4:

"Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; ² so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. ³ So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. ⁴ He slept with Hagar, and she conceived" [break]

There are a few things worth pointing out here.  First, it was Sarai who had this idea to offer her servant elevating her from slave to a second wife for her husband.  This was a common practice among the people and time Abram was from.  If the wife had not conceived she would begin to fear a life after her husband died if she were childless in old age. 

In reading Jonathan's citation, you can see for yourself that Sarai was not some little whipping post in the home:  She had power in this relationship:  She told Abram “I want children—and maybe if you sleep with her, I can raise a family through her”. 

So Abram didn't “take” anything from Sarai.

What about Hagar, the slave?  Did she want to be a wife?  Well, we don't know how she "felt", but going from "slave" to "wife" had it's advantages during this period of time.  Abram was a wealthy man (see Genesis 13), so there were many (hundreds) of slaves and servants in his house:  The idea that Sarai chose Hagar probably (my opinion) indicates that Hagar was a woman who had come to know favor in Abram's home--Sarai probably liked her.  Think about it:  If you were pressed into choosing someone for your husband to sleep with, wouldn't you chose someone you liked?

If you keep reading throughout Chapter 16, you see what a big deal it was to bear children.  As soon as Hagar knew she was pregnant, she--over time--began to see herself as the leading woman in the home.  This infuriated Sarai who had been with Abram for many years.  As a result, Sarai exercised authority again and with Abraham's blessing drove her from the home.  Hagar cried out to God for help and GOd instructed her to return to the home and submit to her mistress (Sarai), which she did and was restored to the home.  God also promised Hagar he would bless her and make her descendants a mighty nation, just as he promised Abram.

We can see through actually reading the text of the bible that Jonathan’s assertion is invalid.  Abram didn’t run over his wife or treat her like a second-class citizen while hopping from bed to bed, having sex with whomever he pleased.

Finally, it's worth pointing out that just because the Bible talks about something, doesn't mean that it is a sanctioned practice.  There are many more examples of extremely crude acts that are performed in ancient times.  They are mentioned in the Bible as warnings to us.   This story is no exception.  If you gain an a full understanding of Abram’s life in context, you will see that God had already promised a son to Abram and his wife Sarai through their union as husband and wife (see Genesis Chapter 15). 
Because Abram and Sarai took matters into their own hands by bringing Hagar into their marriage bed, Abram brought strife down upon his house and the conflict between his two sons Ishmael and Isaac (and their descendants) lasts to this day.

Well continue to break the placard down next week.  Once again, know that I am not at war with Jonathan.  I just want him (and others) to know the truth:  That God is love and his word is true.  It is not contradictory and it is everlasting.  Because of that, Jonathan can know that God loves him unconditionally, just like he loves me and you! 

Until next time, Shine on! 

The Placard: Part Two

As we begin part two of our series on "The Placard", We'll move through Jonathan's placard from section to section.

So that we can get through this in a reasonable amount of time, I'm going to stick to the assertions Jonathan makes, versus what the Bible actually says. There are things he brings up throughout, that (at times) do appear in the Bible, but he does not represent the story or the intent of its appearance accurately. If you have specific questions about those things, please feel free to send them in and I'll do my best to answer as many as I can--but please remember that I'm just a working man. I'm not a writer, or Pastor, this blog is just a service I do in love: I have to fit this in between being a husband, dad, and friend, while finding time to get a responsible amount of sleep so I can faithfully perform the duties I am paid for in my profession.

So let's begin by starting with Jonathan's placard, specifically in the upper left corner, where he quotes Genesis Chapter 2, verse 24, as if it were a reference from which he takes his amplifying comments which appear directly below the verse reference:

I use the NIV version of the Bible, and yes, there are many translations--but contrary to another false belief, they all have the same meaning--but that's commentary for another time, which I promise to get to sometime after we finish this.

Jonathan quotes Gen 2:24: Here is what GEN 2:24 actually Says:   "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh".

That's it. That's GEN 2:24 without any edit or commentary from me--look it up for yourself.

How does Jonathan get all that stuff from Gen 2:24? I don't know--maybe someone he trusted told him that this is what it says and he was so incensed that he just ran with it.  I've done that before, only to find out I (and the person who gave me the bad information) was wrong.

Maybe your thinking that I'm being unfair to by focusing only on the verse he cited? Maybe there's more to it if you look before and after the quoted text? Let's take a look at that.

Look up all of Chapter 2 and you'll find that most of the Chapter has to do with God's ongoing work of creation. He [GOD] had already created man, and in verse 18 said, "it is not good that man should be alone--I will make a helper, suitable for him".

Later, in verse 22, God takes a rib from Adam's side and forms woman. Upon seeing her, Adam (in verse 23) said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” As Adam's words end here, verse 24 continues with a divine decree spoken by God: These words show us our first glimpse of how important marriage is and will be to humankind from the very beginning.  As both a relational thing for us, and as a foretelling reflection of God's relationship with all of us, "becomming one" is a recurrent theme.  Using the model of marriage God intends to teach us about his love for us:  Jesus is often referred to as "The Bridegroom" and his believers (the Church) are referred to as "The Bride".  Even Psalms in the old testament foretells of The King and his Bride.

Now, for added perspective, let's look back at the creation story and notice something you've probably heard but never took due note of in the past: Every other animal was created by God as an independent entity unto itself--both male and female, yes, but each was created independently--as individuals--from the elements. They had no biological commonality, one to another.

Adam and Eve (on the other hand) were the only living things created from one flesh. God tell us (for the first of many times) in Gen 2:24 "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." From this example of Adam and Eve, we see that this "one flesh" thing is not merely a figure of speech, but literally tells of how something happened. 

This great mystery is often spoken of in the bible.  "Becomming one" in marriage is a reflection back to the story of creation, and a foretelling of things to come, when we are united with God--first through salvation, and again when Jesus returns to take his bride.

This is why men are instructed throughout the Bible to love and care for their wives like they care for their own body--because through the sacriment of marriage she has become and she is his own body.  God has made them one flesh.

In the Gospel of John, the concept of two becomming one is used again as Jesus prays to God just before he gives himself in crucifixion.  See John, Chapter 17, verses 20-25 where He prays: 

“My prayer is not for them [the deciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, (all of us should be "one" with each other) Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— ²³ I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  ²⁴ “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. ²⁵ “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

As we can see by Jesus' prayer, unity(being one) in love are important to God.  He wants us to experience this with all the fullness and satisfaction possible.  Love is important to God and he is the one who made it important for us.  He tells us that he is love and gives us over three-hundred examples of how he wants us to love one-another throughout the Bible. 

While there is a call for submission in relationships, our irresponsible modern interpretations are more the result of bad-teaching, bad-examples and a bad frame of mind than anything else:  Think about it.  Name a single healthy relationship you have with anyone that doesn't involve some level of submission, and respect?

If you have a job, you submit to your boss--does that mean the boss gets treat you disrespectfully?  Of course not.

In school, do you deomonstrate some level of submission to your professors?  Of course--but does this mean you berate yourself and put off all of your own dignity for the purpose of flattering the professor for having a title?  Of course not.

If you play organized sports, do you submit to your coach?  If you want to play you do, but you God has not given the coach the right to abuse and humiliate you.

Even in friendship relationships, we submit to each other all the time!  In the bond of friendship, we seek to show our esteem and serve each others needs, preferences and desires.  This is mutual submission and is a natural reflection and expression of love! 

Mutual submission, service and sacrifice is an essential element in any relationship, yet, when it comes to Christian relationships it is treated as some ancient method that has to be struck down, conquered and done away with.  This is not only foolish thinking, but is hypocritical in it's foundations.

If you can accept the idea of submission within all these contexts?  Why not marriage?  And, most who read the bible casually don't know that God actaully calls married men and women to be mutually submissive to each other (not just women).

Read Ephesians 5, beginning in verse 21, which begins with "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ".  I hope this begins to clear this up and helps bring us a little closer together and demonstrates that our beliefs aren't really as far apart as they may seem. 
Even if you haven't decided you "believe the Bible", at least you can see that it's not the kind of whacky, mental-ward story you may have been led to believe in the past.  I hope that will be reason enough for you to keep reading it, because remember, this story is good news. The Bible says it's good news for ALL THE PEOPLE...not just a specific race or nationality....all the people.

Do you know why? Because Jesus loves you! (and so do I). Until next time, shine on!

The Placard: Part One

As you can see by the title, there will be more than one part to this post--but I don't yet know how many in all.  Because of that, I'll try to post all parts this week, so that by next Friday, we can move on to something else, but my plan for this week was supplanted by an unexpected opportunity to make the case for exactly why I write this blog. A chance to "shine my light" and I have this feeling that I'm going to be surprised at what I find when the room lights up.  You might be too. 

Very recently, a friend of mine shared a placard developed by a gentleman named Jonathan in South Carolina. This template summarized what Jonathan believes to be the "Biblical Idea of Marriage". Jonathan published it wondering why in the world anyone would argue against the politics of an issue like gay marriage, using--of all things--the Bible! According to his understanding of a few stories he pointed out in his placard, The Bible was just FULL of stories of abuse, selfishness, and all kinds of filth attached to institution of marriage.

I have to admit that when I first read his assertions, I reacted poorly--the result of my hurt feelings.
Even though my intent was to speak the truth over incorrect assumptions, I reacted rather than pray and consider how my loving Father would have me use this opportunity to share His message and His love.  By morning, I knew that my first reaction was wrong.  I had to ask forgiveness and I knew what I would be writing about today and for the remainder of the week.

Jonathan was too polite to say it--so I can't say for sure--but I think his assessment of what he saw in the Bible's old testament stories may have been less a reflection of the written word itself and more the result of the conduct of people he sees in his daily life who claim to be "God's people" and live by this Bible.

He sees Christians shouting obscenities at the top of their lungs to an ever-growing number of people, at an ever-growing number of places. These places now include funerals of fallen service members! No compassion for the mourners of fallen heroes. No honor for the sacrifice of life--just self-righteous pride and a vile lack of love, all poured out like raw sewage--In the name of a Holy, loving Father?

How ironic:  People without love--who claim to represent a God, who is Love.

Even if some Christians don't engage in that loveless behavior, most of us do nothing about it. We don't reach out to those who are hurt by these loveless demonstrations of hatred. Our sins are acts of omission, rather than commission. It's no wonder that someone who doesn't know the historical context of the old testament stories would take it the way he did.

I'm not a pastor: I'm not a teacher--I'm just a forgiven sinner who knows what love is, thanks to a precious few who refused to point their fingers and accuse me--but chose to love me instead. This taught me love in a way that righteous accusations never could have.

Here a few facts that Christians should think about BEFORE grabbing the torches and pitchforks for the next anti-[what-ever] rally.

1. No politician ever took the punishment for our sin.
2. I can't think of a problem in recent history that any politician ever solved by changing a policy.
3. Jesus loved me, and went to hang on the cross--taking the punishment for sins I should have
    paid for and he did it long before I understood, valued or appreciated it.
4. Jesus didn't demand that I change my behavior before he agreed to loved me.
5. Jesus called me (and all Christians) to love one another, following the example he set for us.
6. Jesus lived in one of the most violent, oppressive, immoral times in recorded history and yet,
    every time he makes any kind of reference to the political reality of his time, his answers reflect un-
    mistakable indifference to politics.  He was (and still is) the King of Kings--if I really beieve that,
    do I really have to fret what Brack Obama might (or might not) advocate if he gets re-elected?   
7. Jesus was not concerned with public policy. He was the only one on earth at the time righteous
    enough to judge political leaders--yet he never spoke out against them or incited disobedience of
    the people against the Romans.

I'm not saying that Christians shouldn't be involved and participate in the democratic process.  I am saying that our political furvor should never outweigh the great commission handed down by our savior.  Jesus was concerned about the things of God. He said: "I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me". (John 8:28)

Maybe it's time we (the Church) start doing that too. I'll continue this tomorrow and will post a copy of Jonathans placard and will begin discuss the stories he highlighted, pointing out how they really do reflect the thoughts of a loving God toward his people.  I hope you'll come back and follow the series.

Until next time, remember that Jesus loves you, and so do I !  Shine on!