Tag Archives: Gospel

How not to read the Bible

01 Friday Sep 2017

Posted by in Church, Politics, Theology

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I was going to write a nice long piece on how to read the Bible.  Then I read this.  And it was good.  And I would encourage you to read the post.  The author suggests several important elements to reading the Bible.

And then I read this wonderful article by Brian Zahnd and found this gem of a quote:

If we suggest to serious-minded, good-hearted people that the Bible is a word-for-word, verse-by-verse perfect revelation of God and God’s will, thoughtful readers will eventually run into some serious problems. At that point the Bible, instead of being a nourishment for Christian faith, can become a deadly toxin to Christian faith.

Oh so true, Brian!  Oh so true.

The other day while I was driving, I scanned through the radio and stopped on a “Christian” radio station.  Two guys that I presume were pastors of independent churches were having a conversation about the Bible.  I stopped scanning to listen.  It went downhill pretty quickly.  I started yelling my usual “It doesn’t say that…” at the radio when they started making claims that the only way that Christianity can be saved is through the preservation of certain American attributes and ways of living.  Yes, they were equating America as essential to the survival of Christianity. I can’t make this stuff us.

Why not throw in an endorsement for a political party and leader on top of it just for good measure?  Since when did Christianity’s survival rely on human made political arrangements?  Yes, even American ones.

Maybe the people on the radio missed this past Sunday’s Gospel lesson in which Jesus asks Peter – “Who do you say that I am?”  Peter responds by saying, “You are the Messiah, Son of the living God.”  (Matthew 16:15-16) Peter didn’t say, “you are Jesus, but our faith is really in the nation and certain political leaders.  Don’t worry Jesus, they have your back.”  Maybe that version is in another book – say Wisdom of Sham where Jesus gives his Polititudes.  Most of the Polititudes start off with Blessed are the politicians, for they shall save everyone, not Jesus.  You know, good wholesome stuff that Jesus never said.

Maybe the guys on the radio aren’t aware of this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading in which Jesus says “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)  I don’t see anywhere in that verse where Jesus says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny the basic foundation of following me and take up the platform of a partisan political ideology and follow it.”

It’s becoming a lot easier these days to hear really bad theology for what it is.  When the Bible is used as a political tool, that’s bad theology.  That’s a poor reading of the Bible.  When the Bible is used as a support for a nation, then that’s bad theology.  It places the nation as the foundation and the Bible as a mere support of that foundation.  It’s mixing something human-made with something divinely inspired.  No where in the Bible is America.  Or our partisan political parties.  Or our Constitution.  They aren’t divinely inspired.  People can debate how good the country is and what direction it is heading in – that’s fine.  But please don’t use the Bible as a political tool to advance your own beliefs.  That’s just poor theology.  We have enough really bad theology that is mass consumed already.  We don’t need to wrap it in the flag on top of it.

Who do you say that I am?

28 Monday Aug 2017

Posted by in Church, Theology

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This is the phrase taken from Sunday’s Gospel reading.  It’s Jesus asking the disciples the question – who do they say Jesus is?  Jesus wants to know – do they think of Jesus as just a nice guy who makes people feel good about themselves?  Do they think of Jesus as just another spiritual teacher?  Maybe Jesus is a prophet?  Or maybe they see Jesus as someone who has some good advice to give?

There’s hesitation in the answer – no one wants to answer.  But Peter makes the bold declaration – “You are the Messiah, the son of the living God.”

Ut-oh.

I wonder if Peter even knew what he was doing when he said that.  If Jesus is Messiah, son of the living God, then there are consequences for that. If Jesus is just a nice guy with some wisdom to teach, there are consequences for that too.  It’s a lot easier to smile and nod and pretend to take in something that is said from a nice guy with good life advice.  You can’t do that though if we’re talking about God.

If Jesus is God, then that means Peter’s whole life is about to change.

This is what happens when Jesus encounters someone – lives change.

Jesus isn’t just asking Peter – “Who do you say that I am?”  He’s asking us this same question too.

What is our answer?  If our answer is similar to Peter’s then are we prepared for the consequences of the answer?  If Jesus is Messiah, then it impacts what we do.  It impacts our relationships.  It impacts our work.  And yes, it impacts our finances and our identities.  If Jesus is Messiah, son of the living God, then we can’t just cherry pick what Jesus says – we are called to live it out, we are called to imitate Jesus.

Jesus asks us – “Who do you say that I am?”

What’s your answer?

Spam

18 Friday Aug 2017

Posted by in Society, Theology

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When I look at my e-mails I am sure to have some spam.  Every time.  I didn’t ask for any of it.  I don’t care which shampoos can supposedly cause cancer.  If these people actually knew me, they’d know I shave my head and that shampoo is just not that important to me.

I didn’t ask to receive spam e-mail for dating Russian women and other things unsuitable for this blog.  How in the world did they even get my e-mail.  If they knew me, they’d know I was happily married.

I didn’t ask to receive spam e-mails that is going to show me shocking footage of Hillary Clinton screaming at someone.  Seriously?  Isn’t she old news by now?  Who needs that when you can easily be distracted by the President’s tweets or speeches.  If they knew me, they’d know that I’m registered non-partisan and find both parties to be seriously lacking, stale, and flawed – and certainly not placing any hope of salvation in either party or any politician.  Certainly not the current crop of politicians that claim to be leaders.

I don’t ask for any of these e-mails, yet they show up.  And every day when I get them, I unsubscribe from every single one of them.  But they keep coming.  It never ends.

Often times, life is like spam e-mails.  Things just show up that we never asked for.  Often these are annoyances, sometimes they are worse.  And sometimes they are down right offensive (like the second set of spam I receive – Seriously, how did they get my e-mail and don’t they get the message that I don’t want anything they have to offer?).

Often we are bombarded with what I call spam messages – you could call them spam gospel messages.  These are message that tell you that if only believe this, you’ll be great.  If you buy our product, then you’ll be in much better shape.  If you do this, you’ll make a fortune.  Then then there are literal spam gospel messages – messages that are theological based, but are just as baseless as any ad that tries to separate you from your money.  These are the Rapture theologies, the Prosperity gospel, and the televangelist “send in your money to receive a reward or healing” – often they call it seed money.  Who’s seeds are you planting though?

We get inundated with lots of spam.  We don’t ask for it.  We don’t even want to hear it or see it.  Yet it shows up – in our e-mails, on our TV’s, in the ads we see, on social media, in conversations we overhear in the grocery store, in political campaigns, and in sporting events.

But then we also receive some actual good news too.  Sometimes the message of good news gets lost because we are so upset or distracted by the spam.  But the good news will never go away.  It’s there, just waiting to be celebrated.  That’s the role of the church – to share Good News with people.  Church, I’m speaking directly to you – people want to hear good news.  They welcome it.  Let’s stop apologizing for talking about the Good News.  The rest of the news is spam frankly.  There really is no comparison here.  We have the best news in the history of creation.  It’s time to proclaim Good News to people.

Being fed and feeding

07 Monday Aug 2017

Posted by in Sermon Prep, Theology

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Yesterday’s reading in the Revised Common Lectionary were all about feeding.  Isaiah 55 spoke of coming to the water, and asked why spend money on that which is not food.  Our Gospel story was from Matthew 14 and told of the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000+ in a desolate place.

There is a great deal debate over this reading – did Jesus do a real miracle by multiplying the loaves and fishes, or was the real miracle that people saw Jesus sharing what little there was and they began to share.  I don’t think it matters – regardless of the how, thousands were fed – that’s a miracle.

Instead, I would rather focus on the fact that this was a desolate place – that’s the terminology we are given.  Desolate, deserted, empty – they all mean the same thing ultimately.  These terms signify that there is no life, nothing of value.  And this is where Jesus goes.

The people go to where Jesus is.  I think it’s quite fitting that the crowd would search out Jesus in a desolate place.  Desolation isn’t just a physical place – it’s a state of being for some people, maybe for many people.  So many people are empty, exhausted, and their state of being is desolate.  There is no life where they are.  Yet, if they are searching, they are hungry.  They are hungry for food, for love, for attention, for care, for mercy, for forgiveness.

But where there is desolation, Jesus shows up and amazing things happen.  Jesus shows up and people are fed.  Not just enough to kill the hunger pains, but we are told to their fill.  But it doesn’t stop there – the disciples collected the leftovers and found 12 baskets full.  That’s because when Jesus shows up, there is overflowing abundance – never to run out.

Jesus shows up and amazing things happen.  People are fed love – in overwhelming ways.  Where they had only received conditional love, Jesus gives unconditional love – to the point of death.  We are overwhelmed by God’s love and have more than enough to give to others.

Jesus shows up and we receive forgiveness.  Forgiveness that we don’t deserve and can’t possibly do enough to earn.  Yet, it is given – in overflowing abundance.  So much so that we take the extra and give it our to others who need forgiveness.

Jesus shows up and we receive mercy and grace and so much more.  And we receive these things in overwhelming abundance.  So much so that we give it away.

The miracle isn’t that God is this good.  The miracle is that we are invited to participate in handing out God’s overwhelming abundance to others.  The miracle is that it doesn’t run out – ever.  When Jesus shows up to places where there is desolation – to lives where desolation runs rampant – lives change in overwhelming and abundant ways.  Thanks be to God!

Where is our faith?

01 Tuesday Aug 2017

Posted by in Church, Humanity, Politics, Theology

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For regular readers of my blog, you know that I have a long history of political activity.  I learned a great deal from those experiences and am grateful for that.  I also learned some things that make me glad I’m no longer in politics professionally.

Now that I’m in ministry, all that politics is brushed away, right?  Not.  Not even close.  In fact, in many ways, it’s much more difficult.  I have a fine line to walk when I preach and when I wear a collar publicly representing the church.

I’m not a big fan of pastors taking up partisan arms for a political party.  I can understand why some do, but I think it blurs the line of what we are.  Are we proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus or partisan political party?  Are we claiming that our faith is in Jesus, or in some politician in Washington, DC or another capitol?

This of course doesn’t mean faith and politics never intersect. I think that’s a big naive and dangerous too.  We are called to be in the world and call out injustice.  And often that happens in political ways.

When I see pastors that make excuses for politicians or political parties – for what they stand for, or the policies they promote – I have to wonder.  Are they a partisan preacher preaching the good news of political party with its vision for how the nation will look when the party has power?  I recently saw a video of a conservative pastor who was praising the current administration in Washington and made comparisons of the president’s leadership style with Jesus.  I’m not sure what that had to do with the preaching of the Good News, but I do know that it advanced the Gospel of the administration.

Likewise, I remember pastors equating the previous administration with Jesus too – labeling the president as a messiah-like figure.  Again, I’m not sure why that was necessary or how that promoted the kingdom of God.  It sounded more like the advancement of the kingdom of partisan political party.

Where does our faith lie?  Where is our hope?  If it is in Jesus, then partisan politics can be seen for what it is – secondary.  It is certainly not to be ignored.  But neither should we put all of our attention and energy to it either.  When we do that – when we obsess about politics and give it all of our attention, then we have made it into a god.

When our politics becomes the basis for our decision-making, when we feel the need to pay attention to every tweet and press conference and announcement from a politician or political party, when we believe that we will have a brighter future (almost heavenly) if only we fund a specific candidate and work to get them in office – then I have to wonder where our faith lies?  Where does our hope lie?  When politicians supposedly have all the answers to all of life’s questions and problems, then where is there room for mystery and faith?  What is the point of faith at all then?

Too often I have seen Christians who are well-meaning turn to partisan politics.  I get it.  I’ve been there.  Religion and politics are not very different at all.  Both offer a vision for the future – of what is possible.  Both deal with immaterial things.  Both offer a gospel message.  Both claim to be able to save people.

By all means, participate in politics.  It’s how we advance policies.  But be careful.  When politics becomes the center and the foundation for making decisions, for the way we live our life, for how we spend our money and attention, then know that we have just exchanged our faith in God with a faith in a broken humanity.

This is the real cost of Rapture Theology

28 Friday Jul 2017

Posted by in Theology

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Rapture theology is popular in the US and has been ever since it was invented in the 1800’s.  It’s certainly not a worldwide phenomena – thank God for that.  Yesterday I wrote about Christian escapism, which Rapture theology dips deeply into, and why I think this bad theology is allowed to continue to exist.

Today, I’m going to talk about the real costs of Rapture theology.  In order to do this, we have to dig down a bit to some underlying assumptions about the Rapture – the culture of Rapture Theology, if you will.

First, understand that Rapture Theology has made a mark on US domestic and foreign policy.  Maybe not in direct ways.  I don’t think you’ll ever find something that points to a specific policy flowing directly from Rapture theology.  There are exceptions of course – look at the foreign policy ideas of people like Sen. Ted Cruz, concerning the Middle East.  A great deal of his foreign policy ideas are shaped by Rapture Theology.

But just because there isn’t a direct link, doesn’t mean that there isn’t influence.

Rapture theology is more than just about theology and our understanding about God.  It also has an impact on how we see people and the rest of creation.  It’s a theology that, at its core, believes that creation is not redeemable.  It’s a theology that believes that people are not redeemable either, unless they have the right beliefs. It’s a theology that is in direct opposition to the belief that God loves creation so much that God would come to creation, die for creation, and then come back to restore and renew creation.  (See John 3:16 and Rev. 21 as starting points).

It’s a theology that stops at the flood and sees God as only an angry God bent on destruction.  Never mind that God changes and promises not to destroy the earth by flood again.  Never mind that at creation we hear God say “it is good” at the end of each day and part of creation.

To buy into Rapture Theology, one must believe that things that God says about creation aren’t true.  It’s a theology that doesn’t jive with what we know about God.  It’s a theology that cherry picks verses out of context to be twisted and mangled in order to support the deeper belief that creation, and ultimately people are un-redeemable.  It’s a theology that puts humanity in the driver seat of determining who gets into heaven and who is kept out – we get to be the ultimate judges.  Humans get to decide if other humans are pure enough to be in God’s presence.  Did they believe the right things?  Did they say the right things?  It’s another sin of certainty, which is really a sin of control over others.

But we know that God renews, redeems, restores all throughout the bible – in the OT and NT.   In the Old Testament, we hear about God redeeming the Israelites – saving them from the tyranny of Egypt and restoring them to the land promised them (Read Exodus through Numbers).

Then we hear about Israel being exiled to Babylon and God redeeming Israel and restoring Israel back to their land (read Daniel, Isaiah, and other books of the prophets).  We hear about God working through Josiah to renew Israel in their worship life (Read 2 Kings).  We hear about God working through prophets to proclaim how God changes, restores, redeems, and renews (Try Elijah for starters, or Jonah will work too).  Job 19:25 describes God in this language – “I know that my redeemer lives.”

The New Testament is chock full of examples of redemption, and renewal, and restoration.  The entire Gospel message is a message of redemption, renewal, and restoration.  Paul’s story is a story of redemption and change.  The Acts of the Apostles is full of stories of how God changes lives and renews and restores.  Just ask Lazarus is God is a God who renews and restores.  The list could go on and on.

So what are actual costs to buying into a Rapture Theology?  Many.

Let’s start with criminal justice.  In the US we focus most of our attention on punishment instead of rehabilitation – or redemption, renewal, and restoration if you prefer.  If your theology is based on the idea that creation and people can’t be redeemed and that God can’t change them, then it’s not a long stretch to see how this impacts what we do with people in our criminal justice system.  We punish them.  There is no redemption or chance for change after all.  In the end, God’s going to destroy everything anyway.  There is no point in rehabilitation. I’m not saying that our criminal justice system was created by people who bought into Rapture Theology.  But the underlying culture has certainly influenced the criminal justice system.

We see the real cost of Rapture Theology in how we do “health care.” We actually don’t do health care here in the US, we do sick care.  We focus on treating sickness.  Our insurance doesn’t reward people who change their habits or lifestyles.  Why would it if the underlying thought is that people don’t change and that they are un-redeemable and can’t change?  Instead, we only manage sickness.  Again, our health care system wasn’t designed by Rapture Theology proponents.  I argue that the culture underlying it has influenced the health care system though.

Rapture Theology means seeing the world in black and white – only two options and you better pick sides!  It’s a focus on conformity of belief, not any type of orthodox Christian belief. It’s all or nothing. You are either saved because you bought into Rapture Theology, or you are doomed.  It’s not dependent on Jesus’ action, but on what we believe.

There is no redemption, renewal, or restoration – only death and destruction. With Rapture Theology, there’s this weird idea that Jesus is coming back twice (can we say that’s not in the bible) – the first time to take all the people who got it right and had the right beliefs regardless of how they lived their lives, then God goes all nuclear on everyone else, but gives any survivors a second chance to get it right and then comes back a second time and whisks those few who do change away.

But it’s not real redemption – it’s just a change in thought and belief – not a change in their life, not a change in relationship, not a change in a heart-felt belief.  It’s a change in head knowledge only.  It’s shallow, really.  It’s better described as submitting, regardless if the person actually believes it or not.  It’s like following a law so as not to get into trouble – you drive  55 mph because that’s the law and you’ll get a ticket if you get caught.

These things aren’t on the surface and you won’t find our policies written with Rapture Theology terminology.  You won’t find direct links between Rapture Theology and the policies we have.  Instead, Rapture Theology has impacted the American culture since it was brought here and allowed to flourish – imparting its unhealthy fear of God, and mistrust of one another, and disregard for God’s call for us to be stewards.

It’s time for Rapture Theology to die off and be brushed into the ash heap of history, along with other really bad and false beliefs and ideologies.  Rapture Theology isn’t going to save anyone.  In fact, it has cost a great deal – brought fear in many people’s lives, an unhealthy view of God as really angry at them, given the church a bad name by making some parts of the church extremely judgemental and toxic, cost people’s lives and potential because of the criminal justice system and health system that is based on the same view of humanity, and hurt the church’s message of stewardship.

If I could say anything positive about Rapture Theology it would be this – I only hope that it is true in this sense – that the theology itself gets Raptured away, never to return again.

Wheat and weeds

24 Monday Jul 2017

Posted by in Humanity, Theology

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Are you tired of reading social media posts of “friends” that you are connected to who spend a great deal of time showing why they are right and their opposition is wrong?  I am.  Lately, as soon as I see what the post is, it just skip it and move on.  There are more important things to do, and frankly, I have enough stress in my life, I don’t need to add reading these kind of posts.

Tired of reading partisan political rants and posts about how (insert party or politician here) is just terrible, wrong, and yes, on the cusp of evil for the things that they supposedly say, do, or the policies they support?  Instead, (insert a more preferred party or politician) is so much better!  They have common sense of course with their common sense solutions.  They aren’t making (pick a group that can used for political gain) choose between (pick something that people need and/or makes their life better) and (pick something else). I am tired of this.  How do you all read all of these posts? Again, when I see that someone is posting something that becomes nothing more than an unsolicited ad for a political party or politician, it’s time for me to move on.

It’s the same stinking message, just change the players and the names.

It shows up in relationships where someone doesn’t like the fact that their (daughter, son, friend, coworker, etc) is (dating/seeing someone with a different skin color, speaks a different language, has a different religious faith, comes from a different country, is gay/lesbian/trans/bi/etc, etc., etc.)  It’s the same story, just the players in the story are different.  But the same arguments show up.

I’m right and you are wrong and you better conform your life to my way of living, being, doing, thinking, and believing – or else damn it!  Why don’t you see how clearly right I am?!?

Never mind that people’s lives are vastly different, that their histories are different, and there are innumerable other differences.  Clearly, I’m right and that’s all that matters.

Tired of this?  So am I.

So what to do about it?

Well, you could try to correct all the people who do this.  You’ll be exhausted and create tons of enemies.  You’ll get called names and threatened and all sorts of other fun things.  And you won’t change a single mind or heart – just like the folks who are doing this.  But hey, you’ll be right and they will be wrong.

Why on earth would you adopt the strategy of the people who supposedly upset you?  Why?  Yet, this seems to be the answer for so many people – do the exact same thing that you don’t like done to you.  That makes literally no sense what so ever.  Yet so many people do this.  Why?????

Want another option?  Try reading the parable of the wheat and the weeds from Matthew 13.  It was the Gospel reading from this past Sunday.

Matthew 13:24-30

The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat

He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?” He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”

In this parable, Jesus talks about the wheat and weeds and how they grow together.  The sower of the seeds doesn’t tell the wheat to go and try to change the weeds to become wheat.  He doesn’t go and scold the wheat for not changing the weeds.

Jesus doesn’t call on us to change the weeds that surround us to become wheat.  Instead, we are called to be wheat – live like the wheat among the weeds.  Not to judge the weeds, or hack down the weeds, or condemn the weeds, or sow something terrible among the weeds because that’s what happened to the wheat.

Instead the wheat and weeds are allowed to grow together.  The wheat grows with the weeds.  This is our life.  To be with those who are like weeds.  But to be wheat.  To be wheat among the weeds is to live your life differently – to be in the world, but not of the world.  To love those around us – even the weeds.  To care for people – even the weeds.  To show that our lives are different because Jesus has entered our life.

If Jesus has entered our life, then it’s got to be changed.  We don’t act like weeds or the sower of weeds if Jesus is a part of our life.  Instead, our lives are changed and the methods of the sower of the weeds make no more sense and we don’t do them.

We are either wheat or weeds.  Wheat acts like wheat.  Weeds act like weeds.

 

All are welcome

31 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by in Church, Theology

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All are welcome.  It’s a phrase many churches like to say or have posted by the door to welcome people in.  Yet, is it true?  Does it really mean what it says, or should there be an * at the end as in – All are welcome*.  You know certain conditions apply.

All are welcome…as long as you are just like us.

All are welcome…as long you don’t ask us to change.  We’d rather you became just like us.

All are welcome…except for those people.  We don’t really want their type.  They are dirty and icky.

Or maybe you are part of a church where all are truly welcome – no exceptions.  I find that hard to believe though – all churches are made up of human beings and we are all flawed and sinful.  We judge people.

Besides, I’m not aware of too many churches who would welcome someone in with intent to cause harm to the church body.

The intent behind the phrase is good.  It’s the idea that all are welcome because this is God’s house.  Yet, here we are, failing to live up to it.

But maybe the point isn’t to live up to it.  Maybe it’s something to stretch towards.  Maybe it’s like a sermon – full of Law and Gospel.

All are welcome – the Law hits and shows us how we fall short and are in need of God.  We can’t do it, we fail over and over again.  We fall short, regardless of the intention.  We judge and sort people, often based on what they look like, sound like, wear, etc.

All are welcome – the Gospel shows us that because of what Jesus has done and what God is doing in our lives and in the life of our congregation all are truly welcome.  Welcome to become part of the sinners and saints. Welcome to become part of the body of the church that is in constant change.  Welcome to answer and respond to the call to serve our neighbors.  Welcome to be who we are, and ready to become who God is making us to be.

All are welcome.

What is natural?

24 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by in Humanity, Society, Theology

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An accompanying question would be “what is normal?”  I’m thinking specifically of American culture right now.  Is what we are experiencing normal?  Is it natural?  Are we on a trajectory on the cycle of civilization?  Can it be stopped or changed?  Should it?

I don’t have the answers.  But then again, I don’t think the answers matter that much.  It’s the questions that matter.  The questions are what open us up to possibilities.

These questions have been a constant through theological history too.  It’s a question of predestination – or is everything all set and there can be no variation?  Another variation of this expresses a different view – the end result is set, but the way we get there is open.  This opens up possibilities whereas the first view leaves us hopeless, mere puppets in a play.  I wonder how there can be love when there is no openness to possibilities of how things progress.

What is natural in our world?  Sin, death, anger, violence, power, control.  There have been more positive things too, but when we measure and mark history, it is often based on events like war, devastation, and rulers.

The Gospel and the reign of God are the things that are unnatural in this world.  That’s because the world is broken by sin.  The world’s norm is that might makes right. Yet Christ declares that the meek and poor in Spirit are blessed.  The world celebrates the division and war, yet Christ declares that those who are doers of peace are the blessed ones.

What is natural?  What is normal?  Is it what the vast majority of human history has been made up of?  Or maybe this history is not normal at all.  Maybe it’s out of whack.  Maybe Christ has what normal is, but we’ve been looking at the world upside down.  Maybe he’s turning the world right side up again – making all things right – bringing the world back to normal.

Pastors ought to be non-partisan

14 Monday Nov 2016

Posted by in Church, Uncategorized

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Pastors ought to be non-partisan.  Yes, I know I’m making a controversial statement.  Some of you probably won’t read past that sentence.  I know all the arguments that you’ll probably state too.  I’ve heard them all before.  If you feel you must repeat them, be my guest.  I’m not opposed to the First Amendment or it applying to pastors.

As a future pastor, I feel strongly about this.  I feel strongly about this based on many things.

1. Leading up to the election, I heard way too many pastors sound like they were preaching the gospel of either Clinton or Trump, rather than the Gospel of Jesus.  Too many made it sounds like either of these candidates were divine messengers who were sent to bring about the Kingdom of God.  Did I miss something in Seminary?  I thought we were to preach the Gospel of Jesus, not partisan political party platforms or candidate rhetoric.

2. After the election, these same pastors have made sure to wail and moan about many things.  They have contributed to the anxiety level we have here.  I feel certain that there are just as many pastors who would have done the same thing had the results been the opposite – just a different set of pastors.  Look I get it, there are concerns for those on the margins – lots of crap was said during the campaign.  And yes we see some of the consequences of the election with the targeting of those on the margins with slurs and other crap that doesn’t belong in society. That’s bad stuff and we should do what we can to stop it and stand with these people.  I will say this much, this wasn’t going away if Clinton won.  It didn’t go away when Obama won either.  This isn’t a political problem – it’s a sin problem.  The church has an opportunity and a responsibility to talk about sin apart from political party loyalties – or maybe even linking sin to politics.  You cheapen the message when you align the Gospel with one party or the other.  At that point the Gospel serves the needs of party and becomes secondary to it.  That’s not how it works though.

3. Why oh why are there pastors who sounds as though our salvation resides in one political party or the other.  It doesn’t.  Our salvation resides in Jesus, not Hillary Clinton, not Donald Trump.  Not in the Democrat Party or the Republican Party.  Why are we contributing to this false gospel message?

I didn’t vote for Trump or Clinton – Neither of them belong in the White House.  Heck, neither of them should even be allowed to come in as a visitor as far as I’m concerned.  But that wasn’t to be.

There are some pastors who have made politics, party, and politician into idols.  These pastors make it sound like we are to worship these things and people and hang on every word they say.  We aren’t.

Here’s why I think pastors ought be registered non-partisan:  having worked in politics for many years, I feel I can say with some authority that the nature of politics is that it is all consuming.  It’s like a black hole.  It becomes the foundation for everything else for many people.  Many people shift their beliefs so that they align with their political ideology.  They look past the sins of their candidates all in the name of moving the political agenda forward.  The ends justify the means in politics.  When politics is our foundation, then even the Gospel and our theology become twisted – we start using the rhetoric of politicians rather than the message of the Gospel to drive us.  We get comfortable aligning ourselves with earthly powers and put all of our hope in these powers.  We make politics our idol.  We serve it and I can tell you that it is a cruel master that offers no salvation, only power struggles.

Pastors are called to preach the Gospel of Jesus – a counter cultural, turn the world right side up, message.  The Gospel of Jesus isn’t about shifting power from one political party to the other and claiming that this party is right all the time and it is ushering in the Kingdom of God.  The Gospel of Jesus is a radical message that says our worldly ways of dealing with power through politics is broken because we are a broken people who have a broken relationship with God, one another, and the rest of creation.

The Gospel of Jesus isn’t the rhetoric of the Democrat or Republican party.  It’s completely different from these two false idols.  It’s a message of hope, a vision for living, a way of peace, embracing of all life and peoples, it overcomes envy and pride, is expansive in nature, and calls on us to be stewards, servants, and Children of God.  Neither party can even come close to this.

Why should pastors be non-partisan?  Because attaching ourselves to a political party cheapens the message we have been entrusted with.  Because the Gospel of Jesus goes well beyond any power in this world.  We’re called to preach the Gospel and frankly, partisan alignment and loyalty gets in way of that message.