Viral Faith

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.  I John 2:9 "We must pray for Gays" Pastor Heritage Munyakuri, Yesterday, at the church where I have the privilege to pastor (www.newhopefree.org), one of my assistant pastors delivered the message.  The topic of the sermon was "The Power of Prayer".  In that sermon, Pastor Munyakuri encouraged the congregation to pray for others as prayer is effective means to blessing others.  As an example, Pastor Munyakuri, who is from Congo, discussed the controversial initiative in Uganda, where it has been proposed that people found in homosexual realtionships should be put to death.  Pastor Munyakuri denounced this policy and went on the encourage the congregation to pray for all people, including gays. Interestingly, because of the highly sensitive nature of sexuality in the church, many listeners understood the message to be about homosexuality as opposed to prayer as a means of d

John 15:1-3 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  The life of a church community is not static but always changing, always evolving or decaying.  There is a certain ebb and flow that is inherent in the life of any living organism.  Times of development, times of growth, times of strengthening, times of disease, times of reproduction, and ultimately times of death.  A church body is a living thing.  Despite church growth experts opinions, I do not believe a local church body was created to last forever, but like our lives, has an unique lifespan that is created for the purposes of demonstrating the Kingdom of God in its socio-historical context.  I have seen some wonderful and powerful communities of God that had relatively short life cycles, but were beautiful in their creation and fruitful in their ministries. The point

That has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.  Ecclesiastes 1:9 This week's violent attacks on American embassies do not make sense to me.  I know its easy to dismiss this violence as simply out-of-control religious fanatics who are lead by zealous militants who despise the United States.  Yet, there is something missing.  It does not make sense.  Allow me to postulate a couple of things that I think will give clarity to this mess: 1. Muslims, like other peoples of the world, are intelligent people who desire significance, security, and acceptance.  In this manner, we are all alike. 2. All faiths that are exclusive, by nature, are an offense to the world around them.  In Christianity, this is openly acknowledged (I Corinthians 1:18-2:16 for instance).  Muslims readily understand that they are misunderstood and that a majority of the world is not Muslim.  While they may be offended, this offense is hardly new. 3.

Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." (Joshua 3:5) In Christian circles, it became popular to talk about the "Chronos" and the "Kairos" time.  The first being the Greek word that describes linear time while the latter Greek word was used in the New Testament to describe a season or event that was to occur.  Too often, this "Kairos" concept was used by Christian Charlatans and prosperity teachers to tell you that your Kairos (your time or season) of prosperity was upon you and you simply needed to give them money to unleash the bountiful blessings of God.    However, I truly believe that God does have seasons of exceptional revelation for his people.  The great awakenings in American history were Kairos moments when God revealed himself to his people in ways that not only changed them individually, but changed entire societies.  Interestingly, Charles Finney, the 19th c

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, Isaiah 64:6 Recently, I have been thinking about the nature of evil.  That malicious entity that is hard to define but identified quickly when experienced.  It is a destructive and dehumanizing force that is revealed in the actions, attitudes, and activities of people everywhere. This past week, I returned from Rwanda where I was immersed in a culture that had experienced some of the most heinous evil (genocide of 2 million people) I could ever imagine.  The idea that rational people could indiscriminately hack and bludgeon their neighbors, including children and infants is an unimaginable evil.  Its is numbing in its intensity and devastating in its scope. When I returned, I was greeted with the news that a former Youth Pastor at the church I pastor, was recently arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a minor.  Although I did not

"Many churches during the genocide became places of death instead of places of life" Bishop Samuel Kayinamera, Free Methodist Church of Rwanda Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.  I Corinthians 10:6-7 I recently spent two weeks in the beautiful country of Rwanda.  Its hills, lakes and people make it a visually stunning place to witness and a loving place to experience..  It is a small, densely populated land locked nation in Central-Eastern Africa that has an agricultural basis of life that is often resource challenged.  Subsistence living is the way of life for the vast majority of Rwanda's people. Beneath the smiles, the tremendous hospitality, exuberant worship, and the sense of national hope, lies the horrific wound of genocide 18 years ago.  In this festering action from April through July of 1994, nearly 2 million of the 8 million inhabitants of Rwanda were systematically killed, tortured,

"Contamination-based reasoning, being governed by a unique set of rules, is often immune to reason and rationality"~Richard Beck in Unclean: Meditations of Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality Matthew 9:10-11 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples.  When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" Researchers have shown that the revulsion or disgust we feel towards things is a deeply embedded, psychological and sociological reality.  In a particular study, people were offered juice and just prior to receiving it, watched as a roach was dipped into the juice and removed immediately.  Most people kindly refused the juice.  The juice was then placed in filtering process, boiled, filtered again to so to prove by scientific method, it was free of any bug-related contaminants.  Most people

Forget about deciding what's right for each other. Here's what you need to be concerned about: that you don't get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. 14 I'm convinced — Jesus convinced me! — that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it.  Romans 14:13 from the Message Bible Why are so many Christians angry?   Why is it that when we are given the opportunity to demonstrate the love of Jesus in public forums, we exchange the privilege with regretful injections of poisonous barbs?   On Youtube this past week, a video of a worship service where a small boy, probably 5-6 years old, was singing a song " Ain't no homo gonna make it into heaven ".  The interesting thing is not whether I can find Biblical support for homosexuality as a sin (Romans 1 for example) but why the focus of a worship service is not God, but the denouncing of others.  Ac

 "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof."  Genesis 19:7-8 I was reading this chapter in the Bible for my devotions today and was arrested on the verses above.   Genesis 19 is the story of the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  The narrative states that "The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it" (Gen 19:13).  Although traditionally, it is felt that it was sexual immorality that brought the wrath of God upon the cities, scripture reveals a more foundational reason: Ezekiel 16:49-51 "'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detes

"Desire is not a trustworthy indicator of human identity" Janell Williams Paris, Cultural Anthropologist at Messiah Colleg e Several days ago, President Barak Obama stated clearly that he supported Gay marriage.  The reaction has been mixed, but very passionate.  In light of a recent referendum in North Carolina that banned Gay marriages as well as common-law marriages between a man and woman, it seems that this issue is something Americans are deeply passionate about.  Our social media timelines are filled with strongly worded responses of anger, celebration, provocation, and ignorance. Personally, I believe that this pulls the cover off of a few things.  These deep feelings are signposts to some of our hidden fears.  However, like an individual with generalized anxiety, our culture has little insight into the genesis of its anxiety.  Instead of trying to thoughtfully understand our reactions and fellings, we immediately turn the anxiety we feel into anger we express.

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14, NIV The word "glory" is an old fashioned religious word.  It is the kind of word that is used so often in the Bible that it can become cliche or ordinary.  Yet, it is one of the most important theological concepts in all of of scripture, impacting every sphere of our lives.   The Bible says that we were created for God's glory (Isaiah 43:7) and that all creation is simply a reflection of God's glory (Psalm 19).  Jesus himself came to demonstrate God's glory (John 1:14) and frequently related his life purpose to give God, the father, glory (John 17:4).  Even our prayers are to give God glory (John 14:13) Although the precise translation of the Hebrew words most often translated as glory has been widely discussed by scholars, there is general agreement that glory means "weightiness" or "impactfulness".  It is a re

Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character. 1 Corinthians 15:33 Then be careful how you listen. Luke 8:18 Back in the 80's, when computer programming was in its infancy and very slow and laborious (anyone reading this remember the days of Basic, Fortran, Cobalt, etc), there was this saying among those who programmed computers:  Garbage in, Garbage out.  It meant that if you input poor code (not in the right order or syntax) that  the output of the computer was also poor (It would not be able to compute as desired).  So, back then, if a computer was not performing, one would approach the problem by reviewing what was input in the first place. I know what I am about to say is so basic and so fundamental that its almost embarrassing to say, but here goes: Many people have dysfunctional lives and relationships, because they continually input dysfunction and degradation into their minds. Unlike computers, there is no keyboard of our souls where data

"Shall I for fear of scoffs and frowns, refrain my tongue?  Ah, no!  I speak as one that must give an account at the awful bar of God" Maria Stewart,  Abolitionist in 1831 I was doing some research for a project that I am completing when I came across the amazing writings of Maria Stewart.  Maria was born in 1803 into a Freed Black family in the northern U.S.  While her life had its share of heartaches and setbacks, she went on to become an outspoken critic of slavery, advocate for Black empowerment, women's rights and preacher of the gospel.  Her writing and speaking style is passionate and ferocious. I think I am most inspired by her prophetic sense of call.  She had every reason to be intimidated, yet spoke out publicly and boldly.  She was a Black woman in the early nineteenth century who lived in a time with violence against women and people of color was common place, yet she confidently spoke to truth to power.  She was able to do that because she experienced

"Now it's time to acknowledge that faith is not a problem to be solved or a question to be answered, but a mystery to be lived-- the mystery of a real, live relationship with God--the GodLife relationship" Leonard Sweet in "What Matters Most" I had the privilege of attending the NCAA Final Four celebration in New Orleans, LA this past week.  It was a once in a lifetime experience among some of the most passionate basketball fans I have ever seen. It was my second time visiting New Orleans, which has a unique culture and spirit to it.  The city is known for its french influenced foods, entertainment, and even religion. One thing I noticed was that New Orleans was one of the most religious cities I had ever seen,  There are religious icons and churches every where.  Yet, New Orleans is one of the most decadent and immoral places in the world. A casual stroll down infamous Bourban street will have you trip over numerous drunken people, pass live sex shows

The past few weeks, I have taken a couple of President Obama's statements regarding of his faith and posted them on facebook.  Taken at face value, it is clear that the President expresses an evangelical Christian faith.  However, there is a large segment of evangelical Christians who reject his confession and many, like Evangelical Christian leader, Franklin Graham (son of Evangelist Billy Graham) even question his identity as a Christian person. The reason is due to the President's stance on a single issue that has become the standard for understanding faith. The President was asked a question in 2010 about how he could say he is a Christian and support the legal right for abortion.  He responded by saying that Abortion should be: "safe, legal and rare, allowing families -- not the government -- should be the ones making the decision" He then went on to say that although his faith is Christian, he leads a nation that is not. Regardless of whether you supp

 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (I Corinthians 1:23-24)  "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried." GK Chesterton Its not practical..... Its not feasible.... Religion is a private matter, that has no bearing on the public sphere... The Bible was written at a different time and the story it tells is no longer relevant to the complexities of today... So called Christians have messed up the name of Christianity so badly, that we are embarassed.... These are the statements that I commonly hear from other Christians when I ask why Christians do not press for a Kingdom priorities in the public sphere.  There is a sense in which the church has been thoroughly secularized, whereby our faith pertains to smaller and smaller spheres of our lives.  Faith is se

"Is this all there is?  Is this what church is"   Chery Dulaney, member of New Hope's ministry team (www.newhopefree.org) This morning, I began to re-read the book of Acts.  For those unfamiliar with the Book of Acts, it is the chronicles of the development of the early church immediately after the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Its an amazing read as we see a movement that literally began with about 120 adherents explode to thousands in several years. The movement of Jesus followers had an explosiveness or dynamism that endured persecution, crossed cultural barriers, and overcame civic opposition.  All of this without programs, nice church edifices, or a dominating clergy class. Among pastors, there is this aching and haunting reality in many of our churches: Our churches do not look or feel anything like the dynamic movement of Jesus followers in the book of Acts.  Yes, there are programs, and new buildings, and increased staff, but no revival or new life.  Ma

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. (Philippians 2:1-2, ESV) There is to be unity among Christians.  In fact, according to Jesus, one of the cardinal signs of the authentic church is to be unity (John 17:21-22).  However, Christians have allowed political affiliations and ideologies to trump theological considerations.  Christian's, unfortunately have allowed to their alliances to political parties and conservative/liberal agendas to shape their commitments to Jesus Christ, as opposed to the commitment to Christ defining their political reality. As I see candidates from different sides of the political spectrum seek out support for the Christian vote, I want to make the following observations: 1. There is a tendency to oversimplify political strategies and realities .  The terms con

In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:33 The essence of the Christian faith is radicalness.  The very language that Jesus uses to describe that nature of our relationship with God, through faith is countercultural and in opposition to the cultural norms of the day.  He challenged his listeners to understand their priorities and loyalties by describing  the relationship in terms like Kingdoms and followership.  There is a tendency to domesticate faith.  There is a tendency to fit it into our current values and priorities.  We want a reasonable faith.  We want a decent faith, but are intimidated by a dynamic one.  We are tempted to select a faith that affirms our goals, instead of one that defines and directs our dreams.  Jesus calls his adherents to an "all or none" type of commitment.  He states that unless his followers are willing to give up everything, they should rethink the commitment.  Contemporary thinke

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 The youtube video above is called "Why I hate religion, but love Jesus" and has been virally spreading all over the web over the past several days.  Its a powerfully done spoken-word on the difference between authentic, living faith and a rigidly constructed rules oriented set of beliefs that many see as religion.  I have listened to the video several times as links were sent from friends and I agree with much of what this talented young man is saying. What he is saying is not new but a creative expression of the realization of many that Jesus came to develop a rich connection with us and among us, not a set of rules and regulations inwhich to live by.  It would also be wrong to think that Jesus came to simply send people to heaven and had no sense of accountability or ethics.  Jesus came to transform people based upo

He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Isaiah 2:4 It is clear from the plain reading of scripture, that God's intention is to end war and its brutality as the means in which nations, peoples, and tribes relate to one another.  From a Christian perspective, one of God's aims through Jesus Christ was unity of all people, not based upon ethnicity, nationality, culture, or families, but based upon the person and work of Jesus.  This is the remarkable thing about the good news of Jesus, is that it radically sought to demolish the divisions and fractures that have defined humanity since its inception (Ephesians 2:14-16). Its interesting that when we talk about allowing Christ to work through us to accomplish Kingdom goals, we rarely see ending war and warfare as one of those