Viral Faith

"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...

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 ...

"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...