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Guns

16 Friday Feb 2018

Posted by in Humanity, Society, Theology

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Guns.  The mere mention of this topics causes a rise in anxiety level for many people.  Many others automatically start thinking of one-liners, defenses, attacks, and more – they know there is going to be a fight.  Still others are so attached to these issues that they become a part of their very identity and used as part of how they describe who they are – any discussion whatsoever on these topics is considered a questioning or an attack of the person.  Isn’t it interesting that something that can be used for violence creates anxiety, fear, and anger at the mere mention of the word?

And still others, although a much smaller minority, if I had to guess, hang their head in sadness over the intense division that we face in the United States.  How exactly are we “united?”  What exactly are we united about?  I don’t see it.

Two days ago there was another shooting in a school.  The next day there is debate about guns.  There is debate about whether it is appropriate to have a debate about guns.  There are some who call for “common sense” or “reasonable” gun control.  I don’t like those terms.  I think they do more damage than are helpful.  Image being on the other side of any issue and you hear your opponent talking about “common sense” or “reasonable” legislation on your hot button issue.  How do you like just being called unreasonable or without common sense because you don’t agree with your opponent?  How does that advance us any closer to a solution?

There are others who will raise the standard of the Second Amendment and claim that the way to deal with shootings is to arm more people in the schools.  The argument is that since many schools are gun free zones, all it means is that they are sitting ducks.  Is arming more people the answer?  Is increasing the potential or the means for more violence a way to deal with the threat of violence?  Is becoming more militarized a good direction for our culture?  What are the unintended consequences of such an action?

We are completely missing the issue at hand.  We seem to think that material solutions solve all of our problems.  We seem to believe that if we just pass this one piece of legislation, then people will stop doing evil things.  If we just arm everyone, then there will be enough deterrents to make it stop.

And we miss something deeper.

That the material solutions – legislation, guns, or anything else, are only one small part of the equation.  They will remain small as long as we continue to turn a blind eye on the non-material – the spiritual.  That doesn’t mean we should just sit around and wait for the next tragedy that is coming.  That doesn’t mean we just express “thoughts and prayers” as though that’s all that needs to be said.  Prayer isn’t some passive thing that we do, something that gets us off the hook from a responsible response. Prayer is supposed to cause us to get up and do something.  Otherwise, it is just empty words, from empty faith.  What’s the point of having a faith that doesn’t cause us to be so uncomfortable and inconvenienced to do something?  What is the point of having a faith that doesn’t afflict us in our comfort?  It’s worthless and it isn’t faith at all.

Our culture is a culture of sin, brokenness, and mistrust. I don’t mean this in the traditional, conservative, religious-political way.  I’m not arguing that we are sinful because we engage in this or that activity.

Rather, we are sinful.  Period.  As a result things happen because of that brokenness.  Sin is ultimately about broken relationships.  I think there are four broken relationships that impact everything else – our broken relationship with God, with ourselves, with others, and with the rest of creation.

If we think we can mend these broken relationships by using only material things, we are mistaken – fatally.  Sin always ends in death.  Death of a relationship, death of a life, death of hope, death of meaning.

I don’t know the answer to problem we face regarding gun violence.  I do know that it goes beyond a piece of legislation though.  And it does involve legislation too.

But, if all we do is pass another gun law, we are fooling ourselves if we think that will stop the violence that happens in our nation.

We have a culture that doesn’t value life – gun violence is a symptom of this.  It’s just one symptom though.  And treating the symptom doesn’t result in a cure.

We willingly consume food that is detrimental to our health and our bodies.  We do it because they cost less money – our money is more valuable than our bodies and our health.

We willingly consume entertainment that glorifies violent death and destruction of people and creation.  We consume this same entertainment that sees others as pawns in a game and useful agents meant to offer us pleasure.  We do it because we need a way to relax.

We willingly make abortion an option for women who, for whatever reason, feel that terminating a pregnancy is the best option for them.  We do it because paying someone to get rid of the problem is easier and cheaper than surrounding a woman and her family with the resources and care she needs to bring new life into the world.  That would take a lot of work, and require a change in our culture.  Besides, it’s fun to get caught up in arguing about the exceptions.  We don’t have the time or energy to talk about how to create an environment where better options exist.

We willingly create and participate in a “health” care system that is really more focused on sick care rather than health care. We do it because focusing on health takes more effort, requires us to be vulnerable, and has upfront costs.  And it would require us to change.

We willingly fight about “issues” in the abstract because if we really thought about the impact of those issues on real people, it would be too much to bear.  It’s so much easier to fight about issues, than deal with people’s lives.  We might feel guilty or shameful for what we support and oppose.

We willingly fight about immigration and foreigners in this country and what laws should be in place and how many of “them” should be allowed in.  Is it 5,000,000, is it 1,000,000, is it 0?  Does it matter?  Those are just numbers on a screen – not actual lives.  It’s easier to keep things in the abstract.  It’s easier to build an expensive wall so that we don’t have to even look at our neighbors – we can feel safer, even if the wall does more to trap us in our own yard than keep others out.  But gosh, we need to feel safe because we are fragile and live in fear apparently.

We willingly fight about race – a human construct that on the surface is ridiculous, sinful, and screams brokenness into our culture.  We aren’t willing to hear from those who have been oppressed because our experience has been just fine, thank you very much – so what are they possibly talking about?  It’s easier to fight about race, than to listen.  Listening would mean we would have to be open to change and then actually change.

I could go on.  But I don’t have to.  In each of these “issues” we, our culture, are oriented towards sin and brokenness.  We are oriented towards death.  We devalue and dehumanize our opponents and make them enemies because we have made being right and being comfortable an idol that we worship.  We fear change because of what it will cost us.  We don’t want to be uncomfortable or inconvenienced.  We would rather talk.  We’d rather scapegoat and blame others for the problems we face.  We’d rather be lazy and take the easy way out of the responsibility that is right in front of us.

Two days ago was Ash Wednesday.  I love Ash Wednesday.  It is a day in which I am reminded of the prevalence of death.  Death is smashed right in my face, on my forehead.  It’s not just ashes of something that was alive that is now dead.  It’s not just the reminder that I too will someday come face to face with death.  It is the recognition that we live in a world that is oriented towards death – it is besieging us constantly.  It is in our face, on our screens, in the words we choose to use, in our digestive systems, in our skin, in our relationships, and our money.

It is in the idols that we worship.

But Ash Wednesday is more than just a reminder of how prevalent death is – it is also the declaration of something else.  It is the declaration that we cannot over come death on our own.  No matter what we do or how hard we try, we will not defeat death. There is one only who has defeated death – Jesus.

Jesus brings a promise – a powerful promise.  A promise of resurrection.  But in order to experience resurrection, we have to experience death.  That could mean literal death of our bodies.  But it also means death in other ways – death of organizations, relationships, jobs, etc.  And death of things that we hold really close to us – our identities with human made constructs and ideas, our passionate desires to be right and to be recognized as being right while others are wrong, our focus on separating people in to those who are with us and those who are against us.  These need to die before we can experience resurrection.

I pray we have the openness to kill these things that need to die.  Yes, kill them, before they kill us.

The Good News of Jesus is that death does not have the final say.  It is merely a stop on the way.  We fear death because we think it is an ending – a permanent ending.  Yet, Jesus says no.  Jesus promises resurrection – renewed, restored, and transformed life.  Better life.  Better than we could ever imagine.

Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow him.  We know what our crosses are – the things that we are clutching so dearly.  The things that will ultimately kill us.  The cross is an instrument of death.  Are we bold enough to allow it to do its job?  Are we bold enough to actually trust Jesus’ words and promises?  We we bold enough to allow these things that we clutch to die?

Or do we fear resurrection?  Do we fear what transformed life would be like?  Do we fear not being in control?

A promise has been made to us.  Do we trust it?  If so, how do we respond today?  How will you respond today?  I start with prayer and it pushes me out of my comfort zone to go and see the humanity, the very essence of life, that is around me.  It pushes me out with open eyes in uncomfortable ways in inconvenient times to see what is around me and to respond.  To bring life, hope, grace, and forgiveness because these have been given to me.  It is my prayer that you become so afflicted by violence, tragedy, homelessness, drug addiction, prostitution, human trafficking, porn addiction, alcohol abuse, racism, sexism, nationalism, and other sins that besiege us that you respond.  It is my prayer that you are made so uncomfortable and inconvenienced by these things that the only option you have is to respond to eliminate these things in your context.  It is my hope that your thoughts and prayers are not empty, but that they pour salt in your open wounds and cause you to get up and go.

The horse race of politics

05 Monday Feb 2018

Posted by in Politics, Theology

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So very often politics is covered like a horse race.  It’s about seeing who is in the lead as they round the bend and head for the home stretch.  The track is seen as the political campaign with the finish line being election day.

And when the horses reach the finish line, the next set of horses line up, the commentators start giving the public statistics and the betting odds of winning.  And people line up putting their money on their favorite horse.  And it starts all over again.

We live in an era of continuous campaigning.  It runs from one election right into the next.  When we aren’t talking about presidential politics, we are looking at the mid-term elections.  And when they happen, we are back to talking about the presidential election.

The questions never end and are always the same – How does this event affect the election?  How will this event play out?

The people who work on campaigns ask these questions and more.  Can this event be used in our next fundraising effort?  Will this draw voters to our cause or draw voters away from our opponent?

For those who understand the nature of campaigning and politics, they like to think of the campaign in a similar way to a chess match – thinking out several moves in advance, pondering what your opponent’s move is going to be and being prepared to counter it.

The goal for campaigners is to control events as much as possible, control the message, and determine in advance how events will play out.  In essence, there is choreography in politics and campaigning.

And often it is fake.  The words in speeches are used on purpose to convey specific reactions – to deter from other words and lines, to create an emotional response.  All the better when the words are empty platitudes that allow people to put their own meaning on the term and think that the candidate cares about them.

The way a room is set up to create an impression of a large crowd – usually by selecting a smaller room so that there is standing room only and the people present get the impression that the crowd exceeded expectations.  Oh, the expectations game.  Lower the expectations and do what you can to rise above them.  It’s an old game in politics.

And most importantly, draw attention to your candidate.  Attention means credibility.  With credibility comes influence, money, and votes.  The easiest way to gain credibility is by getting someone with credibility to respond to you, thus transferring credibility to your candidate.  Say or do something controversial – it’s guaranteed to draw attention to the campaign.  And when the attention is on your candidate and campaign, guess who is in control of the message?  You are.  The campaign the controls the message, is winning the horse race and is most likely to win the election.

In politics, you are either in the lead and winning, or you are responding to your opponent and losing.  There are no other options.  Elections are set up to produce winners and losers.

Yet, this is not normal.  And it is not like most of life.  Nor should it be.  It is unhealthy for a society to devote so much time, energy, and attention to politics and campaigns.  It does not advance a society, but creates division and mistrust.  And when trust is lacking in a society, an organization, or even between two people, we all lose.  Relationships break apart because of a lack of trust.  Organizations fall apart and die because of a lack of trust.  Societies are no different.

We have a serious lack of trust in our society – Democrats don’t trust Republicans.  Republicans don’t trust Democrats.  Evangelical and Mainline Christians don’t trust each other.  The Administration doesn’t trust people within the government or the media and vice versa.  Some American Christians don’t trust Muslims, even Muslims born in the US and vice versa.  Some Americans don’t trust immigrants, and the feeling is mutual the other way too.  The list of who lacks trust in others is long.

This isn’t new.  This is a part of humanity, but the spot light seems to be on it more so than previously.  These mistrusting attitudes are more out in the open than they were, even until recently.  But they aren’t new.  They were always there.

Mistrust is as old as humanity.  The first sin recorded in the Bible is essentially a sin of mistrust.

Yet, it doesn’t have to be this way.  This doesn’t mean that we blindly trust everything and everyone.  Trust is a response. A response to what happens to us first.  It is in our nature to offer the possibility of trust to others when we receive something first.  In theology, we talk about this in terms of the idea that God gives us faith first, and we respond in trust.  God always keeps God’s promises and so we respond to God’s call in our lives with trust – trust that God has our best interest in mind, regardless of how circumstances may turn out.  Even when things don’t go the way we expect or want.  Even when events are detrimental to us – or at least we perceive them that way.

So how does society change?  One person at a time.  With you and with me.  It starts by you and me taking the first step – to treat people with respect, to be honest, to empower others, to offer forgiveness, to treat people with grace, to show real concern, to ask questions, to learn how people come to their conclusions.  It is the first step in building trust – to take a risk and be vulnerable.  Imagine how the world can change when a handful of people start to live this way.  Imagine what the internet would look like if we stopped trying to be right and instead we started treating people the way we claim we believe.  Imagine what would happen.  Then stop imagining and start doing it.

Trust is…

25 Friday Aug 2017

Posted by in Organizational theory, Society

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What is trust?

It’s to see and identify when we see it.  But it’s not all that easy to define.

Here’s how I define trust.  Trust is a relationship with others and with institutions that is based on honesty, integrity, vulnerability, and knowing that someone has your back in case of an emergency.

Another way of putting it is that trust is when you are a part of some larger group, even if you don’t personally know the people, but you know that everyone has similar values and there is a sense of commonality.

Trust is the foundation of community.  Without trust, there really can’t be community.  Without trust, there is no sense of safety.  Without trust, people are busy looking behind their backs to ensure they don’t get stabbed in the back.  When that happens, no one is looking out for anyone else.  Without trust, it’s pretty lonely out there.

Trust is a foundation for a society to advance and thrive.  Without it, there is a great deal of anxiety and strife.

Trust is an expectation and a sense of predictability.  This brings stability and an openness to opportunity.  If trust is lacking, so is growth.  Without trust, the focus is on survival.

This is most certainly true for a society, a nation, a community, an organization, and a church.

How Facebook can be a bridge and not a river

25 Wednesday Jan 2017

Posted by in Humanity, Politics, Society, Theology

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I have an interesting Facebook news feed.  It includes Americans and those who make other nations their home.  I have friends on Facebook who are super patriotic Americans and friends who are citizens of countries that many here would consider to be “enemies” of the US.  I have friends who are Republicans and Democrats.  I have friends who are political activists within liberal/progressive movements as well as within more conservative/libertarian movements.  I get the sense that I am an anomaly.  I often wonder how Facebook decides what shows up in my news feed?  Today when I was scrolling through I saw quite a variety of things.  There is the typical happy stories – a family adopting a dog.  There was the daily pun and jokes I enjoy.  There’s the inspirational quotes that are great.  There is the daily prayer.  There were updates on sick family members, requests for prayers for others.  There were obituaries of both young and old.  And there was politics.

The amazing thing about the political posts on Facebook is that one post was critical of the Woman’s march and the very next one was in support of it.  Then I scrolled a bit further and the very same thing happened.  One post critical and the next was supportive.  This happened over and over again.  I was fascinated by this observation and couldn’t help but wonder about it.  You may also be wondering, how can someone have such a diverse range of friendships.  I can’t imagine how people couldn’t.  Then again, given how divided we are as a nation here in the US, I’m not surprised.  I wonder if our attachment to our political parties and ideologies limits who becomes our friends.  Do people practice political self-segregation?

When it comes to the Women’s march, I’ve heard quite a variety of arguments, one-liners, guilt and shame-inducement statements, and personal stories (from both supporters and opponents).  I’ve heard about abortion and many other “issues.”  Some people are very eloquent and others are, shall we say, a bit rougher in their language.  But this is just the latest installment of my cross-cultural and cross-belief Facebook news feed.   All throughout the 2016 election I watched the election play out in my news feed – those for this candidate and those for that candidate.  And a smaller segment who were for no candidate too.

Every time some divisive issue pops up, I can count on hearing both sides of the argument just by watching my Facebook news feed.  I’m guaranteed to be able to read articles and see quotes supporting both liberal and conservative viewpoints from a variety of sources – and I read many of these – not just the ones I know I will agree with.  Because what’s the point of that?  What did I actually learn from that?  Nothing.

I love this and I hate it at the same time.  I love the fact that there is such a diverse range of opinion on any given subject all at my fingertips.  There is creativity with proposed ideas.  There are serious criticisms.  There are great arguments for and against positions.  And of course there are insults – I see the range of responses from rational argument to emotional tantrum.

But I also hate the news feed.  I hate it because I know the people who comment.  I hate it because I know that these people don’t know the other people who comment on the same issue but from an opposing viewpoint.  I hate that these people appear physically close in my news feed, yet don’t even know that the other person exists in reality.

I feel like a bridge over a river that never gets crossed.  I grow richer from a diversity of opinions, ideas, presentations, and arguments, while people on either side of the river are locked in echo chambers only getting feedback from like-minded people.

I hate it because I know in the grand scheme of things, this type of behavior only contributes to the divide we have in our country and in the world.

I hate it because I don’t know how to bridge the two lands separated by a river.  I don’t even know that the two lands want to meet each other – it seems as though they would rather just yell at each other.  It gives each side the ability to feel justified, self-righteous, right, angry, etc.  But it doesn’t bring us closer to truth.  It doesn’t bring us closer to unity.  It doesn’t bring us closer to understanding.  It doesn’t bring us closer to reconciliation.  It doesn’t bring us closer to advancing our nation economically, culturally, spiritually, or in any other way for that matter.

Here’s my challenge to you – make a friend with someone you know you disagree with.  Read all of their Facebook posts, and just listen.  Don’t respond, don’t argue.  You aren’t going to convince someone on Facebook anyway so don’t waste your time or their time.

The point isn’t who is right.  The point is to see that other people come to very different conclusions for what are good reasons when it comes down to it.  They don’t have to make sense to you.  People come to their conclusions and hold their beliefs because of things in their past, their culture, their education, their parents and friends, their religious faith, and things they observe and experience.  Many times people can’t even express why they believe what they believe, but they know what they believe.  Putting words to things that have happened to a person can be difficult sometimes.

Here’s another challenge – ask questions.  Not leading questions.  Not questions that are actually attacks.  But real questions meant to gain understanding.  Approach people who believe differently as an opportunity to learn.  I’m willing to bet that most people, when it comes down to it, want the same ultimate thing that you do.  I’m willing to bet that there is a difference in how to get there.  If we can agree to the ultimate goal, then can we let go of our attachment to the how?  Can we stop confusing the how with the endgame?

In the meantime, I’ll keep reading my Facebook news feed each day.  I’ll keep holding people in prayer.  I’ll keep having conversations with people who I disagree with in respectful ways and seeking understanding.  I won’t always succeed in this.  Sometimes I’ll fail miserably at this.  But there’s always tomorrow to start over.  There are more people to engage with.

There a great deal of cultural change that I feel needs to take place here and in other parts of the world – a foundation of trust to be built between people, forgiveness offered and accepted, mercy shown, peace sought as a way of life and not an end point, respect in interactions from all parties.

And you know what, if I wait for someone else to take the first step, it ain’t gonna happen.  I’ll just see the same news feeds.

I want my news feed to change!   Not through the magic of manipulating it.  No I want a more organic change – a change because the people posting have changed.  I love the diversity, and at the same time, I want to see more interaction, more respect, more trust, more forgiveness, more consideration of opposing viewpoints.

I’m only one person.  I wonder, will you join me?  I’m taking a step, will you step with me?  Or is there just too much at stake for you?  I’ll know your answer by my news feed.  And I’ll still love you and care about you and listen to you and pray for you.  For me it starts with prayer – it’s difficult to rip another person a new one when you pray for them.  Prayer changes how I interact with people.  How are you going to start?

 

What have we learned America? Answer: nothing.

10 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by in Politics, Society

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What have we learned America?

I think the answer is quite simple.  Nothing.  We are exposed to the same questions, the same problems, the same conflicts ever four years.  Yet we have failed to either recognize them or refuse to answer them.  We are more concerned with being right rather than with things that are much deeper and far more important.

I see this in the immediate responses.  There are some who take on a mild tone, call for unity, and let’s give the guy a chance.  It’s a reasonable response.  Maybe more reasonable than what is deserved.  Much more reasoned than what our culture and history typically respond with.

Then there is the #notmypresident response.  That’s been the response of many Democrats because their candidate didn’t win.  Yet, I imagine these are the same people who were upset when they heard people make the same statement eight years ago when Barrack Obama won the presidency.  Remember Rush Limbaugh famously stating that he “hoped Obama would fail.”  You’ve become Rush Limbaugh.  I hope that’s painful to hear.  “Oh, but this is different!”  Is it?  I can tell you that there were people then who thought the country was coming to an end because Obama was elected.  Remember those days?  Eight years before that we had similar protests when Bush won.  Eight years before that we had similar protests when Clinton won.  You get the idea right?  We have short memories.

We have this idealized view of politics which isn’t helping anyone.  We hold up our institutions as somehow holy, as if the institutions are somehow divine and unchangeable and that it is the politicians who screw it all up.  I’ve got news for you – institutions are made up of people and they aren’t holy.  They change based on who is in power.  The institutions are just tools for those in power.  There is nothing holy about them.  We need to move away from this idealized dream world of politics and wake up to the reality of what it really is.

I don’t feel like I fit in America.  No, not because of this election.  It’s been going on for some time now for me.  I don’t identify with either the Republican or Democrat parties.  They are both seriously flawed.  They also both has some good ideas from time to time too.  Yet they and their supporters are so concerned with being right that they will kill the good ideas if the other party might, by some small chance, have an opportunity to look halfway decent.  Yes, that applies to both parties and their leaders.

If you want proof that I don’t identify with either party, here’s the way I voted:  I voted for two Republicans, one Democrat, a Libertarian, an Independent, and I wrote in three people for office at various positions.  I have friends, actual people I know and love dearly and hang out with, that voted for Clinton and other dear friends that I know and hang out with that voted for Trump.  They don’t know each other though.  I heard both sides of the arguments.  Both made sense and had good arguments and both were really flawed and looking through rose-colored glasses.

This problem that we have isn’t new.  It’s been going on a good long time.  I would argue it goes back to the founding of the country and the core of this problem is trust.  We don’t trust one another.  That’s why the American Revolution happened in the first place.  The founders didn’t trust the king and the king didn’t trust the colonists.  And so we had a war to see who was right.

Again, we take this idealized view about the founders – that they all got along and were happy and bi-partisan.  What Bullshit!  They didn’t get along once the war against Britain was over – they turned against each other.  That’s where the political parties came from.  And we’ve been fighting with each other ever since – convinced of our own rightness and how wrong and evil the other side is.  Every president, and I mean every president, has faced threats of impeachment.  That includes George Washington.  We just whitewash history to keep the past holy and make these men of the past into saints.  They weren’t.  Nor are we today.

Our very system of government is based on not trusting one another.  The founders didn’t trust each other, which is why they put up roadblocks to efficient government.  Gridlock was designed into the core of our system of government.  It’s supposed to be that way.  It makes sense that the founders would adopt a system in which everyone would be pissed off at each other so that no one would get everything they wanted and screw the other side over royally.  It’s not perfect, but I get the reason.

You want to change the country?  Then let’s start with changing some basic ideas about ourselves.  Let’s start with trust.  No, don’t wait to trust other people, especially those different from you, or those that you believe are your opponents and enemies.  Don’t wait to trust only when they start to trust you.  That will never happen.  You want to change things, then you have to take the first step.  And that means you are going to get screwed.  It’s a scary prospect isn’t it?  Are you willing to forego short term gains for long term commitment?

You have to be willing to step out, get slapped down, time and time again, and keep coming out telling everyone that you trust them and then acting on that.  Trust takes time and energy and investment.  It takes building relationships with those you would rather not under normal circumstances.  And trust can be lost so easily – all it takes is one screw up.  But trust entails being vulnerable. It entails being truthful.  It entails confession and forgiveness.  It entails embracing the unknown and admitting that we don’t have all the answers, but we are willing to listen and work together.  Trust is about doing things that takes others into account.  Trust is about finding the win-win solution, not the perfect solution.  Trust is about finding out what is common and building on that.  Without trust, any organization, any nation, any church is doomed to collapse and die.  And yes, trust takes both sides being willing at some point to do and be these things.  And you can’t just throw money or other materials at the problem either. Trust is intangible.

So what’s it going to be America?  Are we willing to take the risk and trust one another?  Or would we rather keep on doing what we are doing and going where we are heading?  I don’t know where trust takes us.  I have a pretty good idea of our current path  – and it doesn’t end well.

I pray that we are courageous enough to let down our guard, be vulnerable with one another, and start to examine who we are, what America means going forward, and how we can move towards a more perfect union.

Want to know how to start?  Find someone you disagree with and ask them to just talk with you about how they came to their conclusion of who they would vote for.  Don’t interrupt them.  Don’t argue with them or challenge their ideology.  Just listen.  You don’t have to agree.  Just keep you mouth shut.  And if you have to ask any questions – let them be questions that seek understanding, not questions that attack the other person or their beliefs.  Ideally you come away with an understanding of how they came to their conclusion and what they really value.  I’m willing to bet you probably won’t agree on their conclusion, but you’ll understand it and see how it makes sense.  I’m also willing to bet that their values and yours are more similar than you expected.

And when you are done, thank them for their time and for sharing what they believe with you.  And walk away with a smile and a handshake.  Don’t go on social media and rip them apart.  If you have to post something, post that you trusted someone, that you listened, and that you learned something new today.  Post that it was a difficult experience, but it made both people better and as a result made the nation just a little bit better.  And the best part – something like this doesn’t require any politician or government agency or policy.  It’s just two people getting together, taking a chance, and seeing where it goes.  That’s how we start America.  Don’t expect a major shift in the next four or eight years.  We’ve had broken trust for well over 200 years.  It takes time to reestablish trust.  But you have to start somewhere.

Finding the new normal

08 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by in Family, Humanity, Theology

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In the course of about one month, my family and I have gone from what was our normal to seeking out our new normal.

I ended my internship, we moved, unloaded most of our stuff, reoriented ourselves back to our home (which we had been away from for the last two years), the kids started school, my wife started a new job, I started seminary classes again, the middle two started back on a soccer team (of which I’m assistant coach), and we did needed repairs around the house (nothing major, but plenty of minor things).  Oh, and did I mention we are still bringing some of our stuff back to our house after having in it in storage for the last two years?

That’s a lot of change for anyone to go through.  Our human nature is crying out to us – “give us some predictability,” it cries.  Yet, we can’t do that.  Or at least not much.

Our lives right now are in this weird state of waiting.  We are here at home, yet, we don’t know if we’ll be remaining here long term.  We’ll know by the end of February for sure.

But what about until that time?  Well, we wait and trust.  We wait to hear and we trust that God has our best interests at heart.  Trusting God in this is not easy – it’s not supposed to be.  Yet it is what we are called to.

What I’ve learned about Christianity during my time at seminary is this – trust is a great deal different than what I thought it was.  I’ve gotten comfortable with being uncomfortable and out of control.  I think that’s closer to what is meant by God’s call to trust.  We admit we aren’t in control, and yet we hold and move forward anyway.

So here’s the real deal – this is our new normal.  Our new normal is similar to previous versions.  Our new normal is life being lived without full knowledge of what will happen because it’s not in our control.  But really, isn’t this everyone’s normal?  Isn’t this closer to the truth than any of us want to admit?  There’s really nothing new about it.  Just some different circumstances, but nothing really new.  It’s normal.

The Sin of Certainty

02 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by in Theology

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Whoa there!

Certainty…a sin?!?  What?  But doesn’t the truth have to be defended?

Yes, you read that right.  Certainty is a sin when it becomes the most important thing in life.  More important than trust in God.  Certainty in belief leads us to hold onto our own mental and intellectual abilities and desires rather than what God calls us – to die to self.

Dying to self means we aren’t the ones in ultimate control of our lives.

I’m currently reading The Sin of Certainty by Peter Ennis.  I’m just about done with it.  It is an excellent book.  Here’s just one extended quote of so many I could have chosen:

“Certainty leads to a preoccupation with correct thinking, making sure familiar beliefs are defended and supported at all costs. … It reduces the life of faith to sentry duty, a 24/7 task of pacing the ramparts and scanning the horizon to fend off incorrect thinking, in ourselves and others. … A faith like that is stressful and tedious to maintain. Moving toward different ways of thinking, even just trying it on for a while to see how it fits, is perceived as a compromise to faith, or as giving up on faith altogether. But nothing could be further from the truth. Aligning faith in God and certainty about what we believe and needing to be right in order to maintain a healthy faith — these do not make for a healthy faith in God. In a nutshell, this is the problem. And that is what I mean by the ‘sin of certainty.’ … When we grab hold of ‘correct’ thinking for dear life, when we refuse to let go because we think that doing so means letting go of God, when we dig in our heels and stay firmly planted even when we sense that we need to let go and move on, at that point we are trusting our thoughts rather than God. We have turned away from God’s invitation to trust in order to cling to an idol.” –The Sin of Certainty, pp. 18, 19

(Source: I took the above consolidated quote from Brian Zahnd’s article on certainty.  He’s another great author to read too.  He saved me a ton of time with the above quote.  Thanks Brian!)

Oh so many golden nuggets in this book.  Here’s my own assessment of the sin of certainty (not the book, but the actual sin).

Certainty leads to division, war, strife, us vs. them, killing, character assassination, anger, fighting, and so much more.

And no where in the bible did Jesus say, blessed are the certain, for they shall be praised by God for their right belief.

We are called to trust, even when, especially when, it doesn’t make sense.  That’s not easy to do.  Which is why faith is a gift and why faith goes beyond our intellectual insights and abilities.  Of that I’m certain.

Why do people submit themselves to things they know they don’t like?

25 Thursday Aug 2016

Posted by in Politics, Society, Theology

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Who do people who despise, can’t stand, and wouldn’t vote a political party candidate watch video and read articles about that candidate when they know they are going to just get upset?

This is not the same as reading an article from an opposing viewpoint with an open mind or a desire to understand how someone could come to support the other candidate.  Are they looking for something to find to confirm that they are right about the candidate?  But one piece of info is never enough – we need a daily hit of it apparently.  Or so it seems if you follow what people post on social media.

I wonder, it is because in a society in which there is only the dichotomy of left/right, right/wrong, what else could there be?  Christians carry a false belief that they have to change the government – where did that idea come from?  When did we mix up Jesus’ call to be Christians and serve our neighbors with our false belief that we had to change the culture to fit our beliefs?  It’s as if we have traded in the Good News with some idea of what good government is.  Have we traded the belief that salvation comes from Jesus in for a different faith – one that claims that our salvation comes from politicians and government?  That’s idolatry.

We spend so much time focused on fighting over partisan politics – at least here in the US we do anyway.  We spend great amounts of energy, effort, money, time, and attention over who’s in charge of the government and complaining about what the government is doing and not doing as if it is the government that is called by Jesus to carry out Christian discipleship.  Maybe we’ve forgotten something essential about Jesus and Christianity.  Jesus didn’t go and petition government.  Jesus went out and did stuff for his neighbors – in spite of government and long established cultural divides.  And he calls on us to go and do some important things too – like feed the hungry, visit those in prison, clothe the naked, visit the sick, journey with the outcasts of society.

Why are we so damn focused on government as if it is the most important thing in life?  What if we took just one hour from all the fighting over government and went out and did something that Jesus called us to do instead?  Just one hour.  Can we put our fighting aside?  Can we actually live like Christians for a just a short while?  Or are we only interested in having the label Christian so we can sit at our smart phones and computers so smugly pointing out how the other side is wrong.  That’s not what being a Christian is – that’s more like a modern-day Pharisee.

I find myself reading fewer and fewer partisan political posts and articles.  They are just more of the same rhetoric of a partisan political dogma that I reject.  My faith isn’t in government and politicians and political parties.  It’s in God.  Where is your faith and trust?

Another day, another fight over who is right

24 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by in Church, Theology

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This time it was in a Facebook group.  It was a fight picked by some people who wanted to say they are right about who can and can’t receive communion in church.  It’s a heady theological argument that has been going on for centuries and will probably go on for centuries more.

Their argument was…well, it really doesn’t matter.  They were using a tactic that slammed those who disagree by claiming that opening up communion to non-baptized people was making church have less meaning.  You know, claim your opposition is the cause of the downfall of the organization.  Nice.  Great Christian example to follow.

A great way to create conversation with differing sides right?

How many different things can we possibly fight about?  Seriously.  When will we learn that being right is not as important as so many other things in life.  Maybe I should clarify.  Having the right theology is important.  Theology is supposed to guide our lives and dictate how we live.  So having a good theology is important.  It’s like having a solid foundation for a house.  A foundation though is only good for one house.  The point of a foundation is not to convince everyone else to have the same foundation.  It’s to make your home more solid and firm so that you can live your life.  Isn’t theology supposed to act the same way?

What’s the deal with the focus on being right anyway?  Why do we make other people who disagree with us feel like crap or lay guilt at their feet?  What are we trying to accomplish anyway?  Are you trying to “save” everyone else?  They maybe we should check our theology – it might need a little tune up.  The last time I checked Christian theology, it claimed that Jesus was the Savior, not each of us.  Our job isn’t to save other people.  Rather it’s to proclaim the Good News, serve our neighbors joyfully, and live out our faith.  How others respond is between God and them.

Maybe the point of being right is because we’re all so scared inside – afraid that what we believe is just a bunch of BS.  So if we can get others to buy in, well, then there is strength in numbers – we must be right if others buy in right?  It’s a form of self-validation.  But really, it’s just us admitting that we have trust issues with God.

Here’s what I know – not much.  The people I have met that are most confident in their faith don’t spend time trying to correct everyone else or shove their theology down others’ throats.  They live their theology out each day – it’s their guiding principle.  And they manage to do that without picking fights about religion and faith.  They are too busy living our their calling to be bothered with fighting about it.

Trust, love, and listening

14 Thursday Jul 2016

Posted by in Humanity, Theology

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Build trust instead of just talking about it.  Actually go and do the work of building trust with people, rather than sit around and think about it or strategize about it.

Show love instead of just talking about it.  There are plenty of people who could use some love in their lives and giving love to others is actually quite good for the giver as well.

Listen instead of just talking about listening.  That means sit quietly, hear what is being said without thinking about what you will say in response, or how the person is wrong and you have to think about how you will correct them.  Just listen and begin to understand a different perspective.

The alternative to trust, love, and listening is, well, what we see around us.  It’s what gets reported on the news.  It’s what has been tried through most of human history.  It’s what we read in social media.  It’s what we hear in those we pass by walking or driving.

The alternative is not a good option.  It’s not what we are called to be.

Trust, love, and listening aren’t easy.  They take time, energy, effort.  They demand that you let go of yourself.  They require vulnerability.  That can be scary.

But they offer so many rewards too.  They offer freedom – freedom from being controlled by fear and anger.  The freedom of not having all the answers.  Freedom to be who we are called to be.

We don’t trust, love, and listen in order to get rewards though. We do it because life is so much better living this way.  We do it because these are things we have received from God.  If we are Christians, we live these out because they are who we are and what we are called to be and do.

Trust, love, and listening.  You’ve already got them in you.  Hand them out freely.  No worries, there will be plenty to go around.  And you won’t end up empty.  Give them a try. See what happens.