Viral Faith

"We always love, but not always properly" Attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux I love New Years day as it is both a time of reflection and a time of hope.  It is the recognition of how blessed we have been as well as losses we have incurred.  We identify opportunities that we have both seized and ignored.  We gather these sentiments together and propel them into the next year, where we hope to keep momentum from the good, and make changes to the bad.  Interestingly, New Years Day calls us to make choices and define our values. I have been wrestling for several months with the concept of idolatry.  Even writing the word conjures up ideas of bowing to bizarre statues and chanting incantations while smoking hallucinagenic herbs.  Yet, idolatry is much more subtle, even sublime.  It is so common that we often think of it as normative.  I wish I could say that idolatry was foreign experience, but God is dealing with me and the community in which I...

A spirit of prostitution leads them astray;  they are unfaithful to their God.  Hosea 4:12 Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages Revelation 17:15 The book of Revelation has to be the most misunderstood book in the entire Bible.  With its incredible images of judgements, bowls of wrath, trumpets, scrolls, beasts, scorpions, armies, cosmic war and worship, it is often difficult to understand the message.  The book of Revelation is written in a style of literature described as apocalyptic.  Other books of the Bible like that are the book of Daniel and the book of Zechariah.  Apocalyptic literature uses symbols and metaphors to instill hope regarding the current and future interventions of God. Now, what in the world does the book of Revelation have to do with Christmas?  Christmas on one hand seems to be so joyful (I can hear a chorus singing "Joy to World" in my ...

See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:19 Recently, I had a spiritual breakthrough.  It was not that I received a new message or gained new information.  It was perspective regarding the nature of authentic faith.  I believe that God is continually doing new things in our lives and communities.  There is no room for complacency or commonplaceness in following Jesus.  So, if God is creating in us a newness of life, equipping us for new challenges, and sending us new journeys, why is the Christian faith so dull, life-sucking (instead of life-giving), and fear-based in so many people who identify themselves as Christian?  Here are four reasons why we may have misdirected faith: 1. We misunderstand the radicalness of the calling to follow Jesus .  In the Bible, Jesus asked his disciples to follow him. To follow, meant to leave lifestyles, vocations, and even relationships behind to fo...

 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3 It has been said that Jesus' sermon on the mount provides the meat of his ethical system.  It is the sermon that articulates and advocates for a lifestyle that is uniquely counter-cultural and joyfully free.  Its an alternative vision for living, that Jesus simply describes as "the kingdom of God" The world blessed can be loosely translated as "happy" or "fortunate".  It means that because we experience the described state or activities, we are made happy and should count ourselves as fortunate. The initial state of being "poor in spirit" suggests a state of poverty of our souls.  A state of poverty means to be deprived of necessary things.  We recognize the effects of social poverty easily, but poverty of the soul is much more sublime and profound. Poverty of the soul is the state of seeing that you bring nothing to God.  It is the unders...

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans I Corinthians 5:1 I have had the privilege for most of the past 17 years, to train young physicians in both Pediatrics and Family Medicine.  One of the foundational aspects of their training is the establishment for what constitutes "normal".  These young physicians must quickly have an appreciation for the wide range of behaviors and presentations, that are all considered normal.  This is why pediatricians with children have such an immense advantage in their training.  Living with a child allows you to see the good, bad, and the ugly.  It is not until the sense of "normal" is understood, that disease detection and prevention can be applied. What a community affirms as "normal" has a huge impact upon its ability to evaluate its own health, and the health of its members.  We see this vividly in our own cultures where some damaging beha...

"Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." I Corinthians 4:2 According to New Testament scholar, Kenneth Bailey, in the Biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, there is no word for honesty.  Honesty is fidelity to an impersonal truth.  It is sharing something that is objectively true.  The ancient Biblical cultures did not understand truth apart from the divine.  In their understanding, truth was personified, and to live truthfully was to live in relationship with the divine. The concept for honesty is a Roman terms, which was indicative of western thought, that although virtuous, was not well understood in the Judaic worldview. This difference is relevant because the Bible continually rewards faithfulness above what we would objectively describe as "successs".  In a parable of Jesus,  (Luke 19:12-27), Jesus describes a rich man who gives several men the same amount of money and then checks on them aft...

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 Over the past fifty years, there have been monumental shifts in how the American public sees its government and its purposes.  The Constitution of the United States was written as a grand experiment in democracy in a loosely held confederacy of states in a largely agricultural society.  The founding fathers had wisdom, but could not have anticipated the modern empire.  Government in the immediate post-colonial America was basic and austere.  The infrastructure of the nation was largely non-existent and states were largely responsible to promote commerce.  The military was very low tech, and was mostly dependent upon militias.  Initially, there was no Navy, Marines, or Air Force.  There were no public schools, health ...

They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.  'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?  No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen;  they will be brought down when I punish them," says the Lord. Jeremiah 6:14-15 The most difficult patients in my medical practice are those who are very sick, but cannot or will not acknowledge they are sick.  For whatever reasons, the would rather be covered than cured.  They refuse both diagnosis and treatment and ignore the signs, even if those signs point to something potentially deadly.    Everyday, I listen to the politicians, the preachers, the pontificators, and the professionals speak about American society in various ways.  Yet, I find that most often, very few are talking about the diseases at the core of our identity, but focus on blaming our symptoms on the entit...

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 There is a sense of radicalness in the call of Jesus and a decision to follow him.  In the gospels, as Jesus invites his potential disciples to follow him, he expects an all or nothing response.  The disciples either drop everything and immediately follow Jesus (Mark 1:16-20) or they attempt to fit Jesus into their plans, priorities, and agenda (Luke 9:57-62, 14:25-33).  Those who attempt to make a nominal decision (a decision in name, but not radically changing their lives) are rejected by Jesus as disciples.   Its strange to talk about Jesus rejecting anyone, because Jesus offers an invitation to all, regardless of background, religiosity, character, or experience (Rev 21:6).  However, the invitation is not without expectation.  There is a sense in Jesus' call of "leaving" before "following".  In the call of Andrew and Peter, as well...

 "For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all! Jeremiah 2:13 (NLT) One of the classic stories of the Bible involves the dramatic release of the fledgling Hebrew nation from the oppressive Egyptian empire.  This is done through God's dramatic and miraculous intervention that culminates with the spliting of the Red Sea,  As the story continues, the Hebrew people are brought to Mt. Sinai, where God would summon their leader, Moses, to receive the laws for governing his people.  This conversation would take 40 days.  In those 40 days, in the absence of their leader, the Hebrew people would demand to make a statue that would represent the God who brought them out of Egypt. (see the entire book of Exodus). One of the interesting notes of this story is that the Hebrews did not think they were worshiping a different God, but that the...

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:19-20) During this series, we have tried to take a sweeping look at sexuality, through the teachings of Jesus and his scriptures. While the topic is far to broad for a blog series, the goal was to critically examine what Jesus and the Bible said about sexuality and specifically, same-sex relationships in light of recent changes in the legality of same-sex marriage. In the end, we are reminded of the big picture. The big picture is that God created the world and all of its people.  Creation not only was "good", but continues to have immense value.  Humanity, created to reflect the image of God was to live in harmony with creation and be a caretaker (thus actually reflecting God in action as well).  Humanity was created with a sexual n...

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. (Romans 1:24-25) We are winding down on this topic of Jesus and sexuality.  I have appreciated the feedback that this topic has received and hope that it has helped to clarify the Biblical approaches to this difficult topic.  We have discussed the general nature of scripture, its interpretation, overarching themes in scripture and specific scriptures in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament).  Now, we take time to look at sexuality, specifically same-sex attraction in the New Testament or Greek Scriptures.  Once again we need to reiterate a few concepts: 1.  Jesus is considered the pinnacle of revelation.  He does not only speak for God, but is the "exact representation of His being" (Hebrews 1:3).  Jesus' words and life are authoritative. 2.  Jesus had a Jewish understanding of sexuality, where sex was ...

The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things, for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you. (Leviticus 18:26-28) We began looking at some very general scriptures regarding sexuality as found in the Hebrew Scriptures (also called the Old Testament) in part VI of this blog series and now we turn to some very specific verses.  As you recall, the moral standards of the community of Israel was spelled out in "the law", given to Moses by God.  That law is spelled out in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. The book of Leviticus spells out a variety of laws regarding worship and community living.  Within the community living section, it states the following: "'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." Leviticus 18:2...

" There are two ways, one of life and one of death, but a great difference between the two ways." from one of the earliest Christian discipleship guides called the Didache . The Didache was a document that was developed for Christian communities in the late first century, probably between 70 and 90AD.  It is remarkable because it focuses on Christian practice (often called praxis) over doctrine.  Yet it gives us specific insight of the ethos of these early Christian communities.  The initial statement of the Didache (see above) identifies the ethics of followers of Jesus to be that of contrast.  The ethical standards and concerns were to be uniquely different than that of the culture in which they find themselves placed. This was not a uniquely Christian heritage, but these early Christians were extending the Judaic understanding that the people of God were to be a "Holy" people.  That is, that God is calling a people to be distinct and devoted to hi...

“Disapproval of homosexuality cannot justify invading the houses, hearts and minds of citizens who choose to live their lives differently.” Harry A. Blackmun (American Supreme Court justice, 1908-1999) We began this blog series on Jesus and Spirituality by stating that although the issues recently in the media regarding Gay marriage are are legal, the underlying discussion is a discussion of morality.  We have also set the foundation for Christian ethics by stating the role of scripture, tradition, reason, experience, and culture in the shaping of ethics.  We looked at some particular scriptures that viewed sexuality in general, but have not looked at some of the more pointed scriptures in the Bible regarding homosexuality. We begin with the premise that in the Bible, revelation is progressive.  That means that information or priniciples revealed in the earlier parts of the Bible are continually focused and clarified in latter parts.  Jesus, who is the ulti...

The Bible is a book that has been read more and examined less than any book that ever existed.  Thomas Paine As I have been writing several different blogs pertaining to different aspects of Christianity, I have had several wonderful conversations with people who have not much experience interacting with the Bible.  This blog is for people who have not had much experience with the Bible, but are interested in a understanding how the Bible is to be approached.  I will write this in a bullet format in order to be concise: 1. The Bible is not one single book, but 66 different books written over a long period of time .  It has been collected together as sacred writings for over 2500 years.  2. The Bible assumes the existence of God and never attempts to prove it.   It is a book of faith written to a people of faith.  Certain assumptions are present.  The Bible is not to used as a text book or a proof text because it was not written for...

This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.  Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame. (Genesis 2:24-25, NLT) We have been discussing the issue of sexuality from a uniquely Christian perspective, attempting to weed out the authentic principles found in Hebrew and Greek scriptures (Old and New Testament) from the cultural views that often seek to masquerade as Christianity.  Typically, authority in Christianity  is first found in Scripture, then in tradition (what did Christian communities before us think and practice), reason (is this logical and consistent with other principles found in scriptures), and experience (does this line up with my experience).  I previously shared (see previous blog entries on Jesus and Sexuality) that culture also plays a huge part in how we interpret scripture, understand tradition, apply reason, and experience life.  For better or worse, ...

I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.  Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. (Psalm 23:4, NLT) According to the 23rd Psalm, if you want to understand God, you must understand the role of the shepherd.  If you want to understand how Christians behave, you must understand the behavior of sheep.    The Bible describes God's role as a shepherd throughout scripture.  The role of the shepherd was to guide, feed, and protect the sheep.  Real sheep have very little mental capacity to strategize and very few tools in which to defend themselves.  It is only by following a shepherd that they can survive. The fourth verse of the 23rd Psalm shows us two of the tools used by the shepherd to protect and guide the sheep.  The rod is a short blunt thick stick with a rounded end.  It was used as a weapon against predators but also was useful in encouraging wayward sheep to stay with the herd.  The staff is a hooked bow tha...

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; (Psalm 23:4) During the warmer months, ancient shepherds in Palestine would move their flocks from the lower plains to higher grounds for more fertile feeding grounds.  This would entail literally climbing mountains with your flock.  In addition to the hazards posed by the climbing itself, the jagged hills were ideal hiding places for predators and poisonous creatures such as scorpions.  It was considered one of the hazards of the shepherding world. King David, who once was a shepherd, understood the hazards of the shepherding life as he wrote the 23rd psalm.  As he writes about God as our true shepherd he recognizes that the role of the shepherd is to guide us through some very difficult, and frankly frightening places in life.  He recognizes the inevitability of danger with his words "Even though....". God as our shepherd should inspire courage in his f...

He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. (NKJV) When God is truly our shepherd, we allow him to guide us, care for us, lead us, and protect us.  This understanding of a shepherd may be lost on many of us, but at the time of the writing of the 23rd psalm, the vital role of the shepherd was well known.  While the 23rd psalm is one of the most frequently quoted set of verses in all of scripture, we rarely take the time to contemplate the profound impact of what it means to have God, the creator of the universe, as our shepherd. I have been reviewing the implications over the past few blogs and continue with the third verse of psalm 23, where it states that when God is our shepherd, he leads us in paths of righteousness.  The literal rending of this phrase in Hebrew is "leading in the right path".  In our current culture, we are consumed with being efficient and effective in our busy lives.  Our interpretation of th...

He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. Psalm 23:2-3 (NLT) A sign reads at my local gas station "Turn off engine completely before fueling".  The concept is simple, you need to shut down to fill up.  It is both dangerous and incredibly inefficient to attempt to fill your gas tank while the engine is on. As we explore the 23rd psalm, this principle of resting and refueling is the basis of renewal.  God leads us to places of rest (rest from work, rest from worrying, rest from activity) in order to renew our strength, or as the King James version states, "restoreth my soul". Its fascinating to consider that God desires to renew and restore us on an ongoing basis.  This suggests a couple of principles: 1. We wear down and wander away .  Like sheep, we too get tired, confused, and misdirected.  This does not mean that sheep are evil and deviant, as much as they are simply being sheep.  We too...

He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. Psalm 23:2 (Amplified Bible) According to scripture, humanity was made for cycles of rest and work.  The Creation story in Genesis demonstrates that even God himself, has cycles of rest and work.  It is no wonder, that when God is our shepherd (Psalm 23:1), he leads us to times of rest. Psalm 23:2 (above) reminds us of what Bible teacher Warren Wiersbe wrote: If you do not take time to come apart (from your work), you will literally come apart (life will fracture).  As we surrender our lives to the shepherding of God, he will lead us to times of rest.  These times of rest are essential for your health and your relationship with him. The creation narrative gives us a alternative story regarding rest.  In our highly efficient, high productivity modern economies, we are working longer than any generation before us (not including slavery).  Our concept ...