Can't Remember?

If you have a problem remembering what day you are to celebrate the Transfiguration of Christ...

Where he went up on the mount with two disciples, and heard from Moses and Elijah. Where he was told he would go to Jerusalem and in a nonviolent way die for God's creation. Where God told the disciples to listen to his son. Where we are told to follow and not fear.

...well it is the same day America celebrates being the only country to drop an atomic bomb on another country.

Girl on Girl? Hot, and Hot is Where You're Going

So over at the SNU MySpace Forum they have a topic going on do homosexuals belong in the Kingdom of God.

This was my reply. (To let you know Gin and I both think loving people is all we are called to do. Unless they are oppressing people by law, religious or other wise, and then I am flippin' tables and twisten' caps fool.)

I see a few problems with this post.

First, people seem to be using Kingdom and Heaven interchangeably. Kingdom is present. Whether people choose to believe and participate or not. That is what the gospel is. The proclamation of the Kingdom of God. The word gospel is a direct stab at Rome. When Rome had a military conquest they sent out the Gospel of Ceaser, or announcment of victory. Thus the Gospel(s) of Christ, or announcment of the establishment of his Kingdom. Heaven is future. A place Christ said, "I go to prepare." So There for, all humans exist in the Kingdom, but do they choose to participate? By that I mean follow The Way. (Freshmen read a book if you are lost.)

Second, although we might be called to judge each others fruit we are not call to judge eternal destination. Bewarned that is the type that comes back to haunt you.

Last, Christ seem to dish out plenty of love and compassion, except on those that bound people by religious law.

I hesitate to point out, because of the sheer ludicriousness of those holding nails still, that you can put gay guy into the samaritian story, lesbian chick into the women at the well, and the homo on the cross that Christ said, "See ya in a few." Can you put you? (Admendment to original. I am not judging the right or wrongness of homosexuality here. I am stating that we view them in the same hands off, overt your eyes and cross the street way that they people were viewed in the original stories. We are call to not have that response. Period.)

People Empire vs. Jesus Empire

I am reading a book right now called A Peculiar People: The Church As Culture in a Post-Christian Society, by Rodney Clapp. In Ch. 3 Clapp makes the claim that the Church is as real and definable as America, or any other nation. He does this by pointing out how we use maps to establish borders, but that this is really a political weapon. He gives a brief synopsis of how the Oklahoma Panhandle became part of America. I will give you a more brief one. No one should own it according to an agreement signed by Mexico and the U.S. goverment. So we started making it part of Oklahoma on maps, and now no one disputes it. Basically what I take that to mean is Mexico is not big enough to fight for it anymore. Which leads me to my question.

What is the difference between church and state? If as Clapp says the Church is as real, but seperate from, nations on maps, what is the difference? Church in this question is refering to the Universal Church outside of physical location or time frame. Meaning everybody from Peter, Paul and Mary to this current generation.

As I see it only three things seem to be different. The Church should be nonviolent/noncoercive, The Church should be concerned about body and soul. The Church should function out of a sense of compassion towards the world. I say should because we have not always, or currently always, act/function this way.

I can only judge from my understanding of how other denominations and sects of christianity function,compared to my own, but we all seem to mostly function like the government. What I mean is we seem to set up our denominations/sects (from here own out denomination also includes all nonprotestant sects too.) in a governmental type hiearchy. Which then leads to a system based off worldly concepts of power. Those at the top want to stay there, and become motivated by this. Those below are motivated by a need to keep an income. (It seems.)

You can't say The Church is different than The State, because of things it does. They both take care of people. They both build things to help society. They both collect money to do these things. They both establish laws and critiria to define who is or is not, and to judge the peoples rightness.

What I do see is that The State will use violence to protect it's people, and gain territory. While The Church doesn't normally do this, and should never. A nation will use it's laws to force you to do what it wants. You won't go to jail for not paying your tithes. While The Church doesn't normally use physical force, I will admit psychological abuse/coercion is quite common. i.e. excommunication to "those looks". The State ,while concerned with it's people in the here and now, does not have any reason to be concerned with your soul or it's eternal statis. The Church should be concerned with both, and working to improve, heal and save both. The last difference really comes down to motivation. As I stated earlier The Church should be motivated, as Christ was, out of compassion for the world. While a country is motivated out of what is best for it's survival and growth.

Maybe I have missed some difference(s)? Also as I have tried to make clear this is how The Body of Christ should be different, and not how we always are. For that I ask forgiveness of all my pagan friends:) Most of the times we The Seed of Abraham meant to bless the world have failed is because we have allied ourself with the wrong king or president. We are called to be the light, not to hold hands and pat each other on the back.

I'm a Christian. I Don't Need To Be Like Jesus.

I woke up Palm Sunday thinking about something. A personnal story or event of my life, and really it had been in my subconscience for at least a week. I have been reading and discussing some religious stuff, as of late, with a new perspective. You could say I have had a paradigm shift, or you could say it all just makes more sence this way. I won't bore you with it all, but I will share my event. An event that really has made me realize nonviolence is the only Christ like response, and that I prefere the term redemption (not redeemed) to salvation.

I don't really remember any other male pastor kids, on our district, from my late childhood to my midteens. That should let you know how I viewed myself, and why I assumed everyone else thought the world revovled around me. Then Jim and Dave came to south Oklahoma, and all hell broke lose. To let you know how arrogant I was, they didn't enter my world until I was actually fighting one of them. Meaning they didn't not actually exist to me and I have no memory of them prior to this event.

We (I will explain we in a moment) were in an old cabin at church camp. I think the cabin use to be a nurse station. It had one big room with a few small bedrooms, and maybe a bathroom. The place was mostly void of all furniture, the walls were bare and white, and I am positive we broke in. For as far back as you could see through the windows, and with as many kids smashed inside as possible, we (Jim and I) stood at the middle of this chaos. We didn't actually get to far into beating the crap out of each other before his mom showed up. Something about a large crowd of kids screaming, "Punch him," that quickly brings an adult. That was my first encounter that I remember with Jim, and you will notice a lack of someone still.

Every summer for a few years was like this. Eventually I realized Jim had a little brother. Their main goal in life seem to be to destroy me. Summer conflicts quickly esculated to gang warfare. I remember one summer we hunted for weapons to use in our battle royale we had scheduled. (We at least scheduled fights like gentlemen.) Then the next summer everyone knew to bring a weapon. I remember someone came walking up to an argument between Jim and I, (probably discussing who had dibs on which girl. Seriously.), and they had a two foot metal pipe. Next thing you know suitcases are emptied in a tornado of testosterone, and everyone had a knife of some kind. I am not really sure how that was defused.

One summer Jim wasn't there but Dave was. This was the first time I realized Dave was the same age as me, and that Jim was actually older. Which would half explain my willingness to be so confrontational with him. Also since Jim wasn't there, and Dave and I had not really ever spoken, things went a bit different. We mostly ignored each other.

Every year the last night of church camp is the one you plan to make out on. Then the preacher guilts you down to the altar, and screws everything up. Usually all your friends and adults that know you go down, and cry and pray with you. This time I sat there. I was not going. I was tired of the same old failure after two months. I had graduated, and was moving on. I planned on making out for once.

Then out of the corner of my eye I saw Dave get up and go down. I thought, "Stupid." I knew he had friends and family there, but a weird thing happened. No one seemed to be moving. I got this massive weight on my chest, and I started moving. It was all in slow motion, but everything looked more bright, and my thoughts were sharp/focused. The next thing I know I wa at the altar praying with Dave. We were both weeping, hugging, and asking God for forgiveness. Then Dave just stared into my soul and thanked me. Something was different that time, and that something was Jesus. Something about a moment of real compassion, and not fear of hell, allowed God to enter into communion with us.

I realize setting here over a decade later that I have failed miserably in most relationships. That one moment, that has recently come back to my attention, now defines how I want to be. Only a nonviolent response towards my enemy allowed Christ's power to bring redemption. I didn't do anything alone that day. Dave had to equally embrace me. Then help drag me along more often than not.

When I look back to that day I see Christ. Only a few other moments in my life as strongly represent or show Jesus truly standing there redeeming me. I like the term redemption so much now because it speaks to the process. I think saved so often seems to be seen as the acculmination of it all. I like to imagine that the altar, or your bed late one night, is were Jesus is able to finally say, "Good. Now that we have that out of the way, get up and Follow Me."

I told Ginger the other day I believe Jesus is the only Way, and way represents a certainty of directional knowledge. So I no longer believe having said the right words will save me. I think true believe in the message of Christ's life, validated through His resurrection, and helped out is some ambiguios way at the cross, has to lead to a life changed. (Before we get into forgiveness of sin, Jesus was doing that pre-Cross. Also realize orthopraxy has become some what more important to me than orthodoxy.) I explained to Ginger I now imagine each of us standing before God and it asks have you lived a life of redemption or have you brought destruction to my creation? Only if you have followed in The Way will you find salvation. Jesus's life was faith lived out in action, Jesus's death was faith lived out in action, and His resurrection was action validating it all. (Again, orthopraxy.)

Going into Easter weekend I would like to share the only prayer I have left to pray. It is by a great poet Dave Matthews (not the Dave in the story).

Bartender (Lillywhite Sessions) Lyrics

If I go
Before I'm old
Oh, brother of mine
Please don't forget me if I go

Bartender, please
Fill my glass for me
With the wine you gave Jesus that set him free
After three days in the ground

Oh, and if I die
Before my time
Oh, sweet sister of mine
Please don't regret me if I die

Bartender, please
Fill my glass for me
With the wine you gave Jesus that set him free
After three days in the ground

Bartender, please
Fill my glass for me
With the wine you gave Jesus that set him free
After three days in the ground

I'm on bended knees, I pray
Bartender, please

When I was young, I didn't think about it
Now I can't get it out of my mind

I'm on bended knees
Father, please

Oh, and if all this gold
Should steal my soul away
Oh, dear mother of mine
Please redirect me if this gold...

Bartender, you see
The wine that's drinking me
Came from the vine that strung Judas from the Devil's tree
His roots deep, deep in the ground

Bartender, you see
The wine that's drinking me
Came from the vine that strung Judas from the Devil's tree
Its roots deep, deep in the ground
Ground...

I'm on bended knees
Oh, Bartender, please

I'm on bended knees
Father, please

When I was young, I didn't think about it
Now I just want to run and hide

I'm on bended knees
Oh, Bartender, please
Bartender, please...

Did I Say Something All That Offensive?

This is an excerpt from a discussion with a friend. It was two friends, but what I had to say has made one mad enough to no longer want to talk to me. What basically caused the conflict was me making a statement to the affect of most people have a political motivation (you could substitute power for political) in their actions, and that I would even extend that to the canonization of the Bible. So here is some of my response back to the one's questions.

I was trying to say I didn't think any theological idea was so set in stone that the community of God shouldn't be able to discuss and debate it. I feel like with the canonization of scripture, and everyone having there own bible, we have lost a sense of the fluidness of God. Everyone thinks they have Him pegged, but I think once we fit God in a round hole we no longer have a grasp on anything but an intellectual idol. I was reacting to your idea of just voting by scripture. Which I see as being voting by your interpritation of scripture. (Which we all do.) I have just been reacting badly to anything that sounds like someone thinks they hold a solidified view of God or his written word. Not that you do or don't. I just read your comment that way.

One example would be stealing. Seems simple by a litereal read, but.... When you actual look at the hebrew words used it is not. The words in hebrew apply specifically to taking of a persons livelyhood or means of living. Not taking someones basketball left outside. Unless they happen to be a professional basketball player. Not that I think our english rendering, and westernisd (greek/roman) view of the scripture is bad. I use it as an example of how we often think the Bible is so straight forward, and it is not.

I forget if you said you were or had read Velvet Elvis, but I love Rob Bell's statement, "God spoke, and the rest is commentary. Right." We have forgotten, or don't care, to engage in the discussion of who God is anymore. We want our theological statements in bullet points that can be screamed back and forth.

I will tell you something crazy. I have begun to wonder if Billy Graham has done more harm or good for the Kingdom. Does getting people to an altar with no life change even matter. How often did Christ focus on personnal sin, and who was that with? Legalistic religious folk. Generally he just said come hang out with me, and start doing what I do. I feel like I have been so focused on the cross, and personnal sin, I have totally missed Jesus.