What I learned from Chik Fil A

or late to the Chik Fil A party

so we are all tired of the August 1st controversy of Chik Fil A Appreciation Day. I get that. I am too. But sometimes I need to remove myself from the controversies and emotions to really figure out what I can take from an event. So here it is: what I learned from Chik Fil A Appreciation Day.

^{Matthew 22}

³⁷ Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

If the greatest commandment given to me is love God and love neighbor, then I need to ask myself a couple of questions with every action I take. 

1. Who or what am I loving with the action I am taking? 

2. Is this the highest expression of love for God and for all my neighbors?

I don't think Christians were trying to be hateful. I have heard people declare that if we are to love neighbor--well, the Chik Fil A CEO is our neighbor too. It is true. We seem to have loved those who think like us, believe like us quite well on August 1st. But in the answer to who is our neighbor, Jesus used the Samaritan--the one who is theologically and politically at odds with God's chosen people--to illustrate who our neighbor is. 

August 1st taught me that we can love our neighbors who think like us and act like us and are like us while making the neighbors who are not like us feel rejected. 

And most Christians would say the CEO of Chik Fil A knows the love of God already. The people who Christians disagreed with--the ones who were boycotting Chik Fil A because of their views of homosexuality--were the ones Christians would say need to experience God. And so Christians showered love on the one who they believe knows God and left the ones who need to experience God out. Christians loved their standards and their dogma and wondered why people left unloved.

If Christians--those who serve the Creator God--cannot be creative enough to express love for those who are like them while expressing love to those who are not like them, what hope does the world have? 

I have heard people say that August 1st was about freedom of speech. I heard time and time again, it is our right to free speech. The problem is when we claim our rights--well it is very much in the first person. And our claim to our personal rights is still an expression of self love. Not that we don't have rights. But Philippians 2 tells me I need to have the mind or attitude of Christ who did not cling to his rights as God. 

And so I am going to try and ask myself in every situation who am I loving and is this the highest expression of love to God and to others?

I just want to love Jesus

I just want to love Jesus.
But so much gets in the way.
I just want to love Jesus by spending time quietly in prayer and Scripture.
But instead, I press the snooze button or the laundry suddenly becomes a desperate need.
I just want to love Jesus by serving others.
But instead I many times treat people as interruptions to my daily tasks.
I just want to love Jesus in all that I do.
But doctrinal differences, political differences, cultural differences all get in the way.
I just want to love Jesus.

The Southern Baptist have reinforced their understanding of Hell in light of Rob Bell's book. There are numerous books out to combat Rob Bell's "unorthodox" view. "God's ways are higher than ours so just because an eternal Hell is repugnant to us doesn't mean it isn't God's way." And anyone who doesn't believe in a literal hell is dismissed or better yet, a heretic. We assume we can know completely about Hell, Heaven and all Spiritual Truths beyond any shadow of a doubt. And that assumption drives a wedge between us.
There is the debate over homosexuality. Actually it isn't debated much. We simply talk over each other, around each other, at each other. And somehow, if you believe one way you are a liberal heretic who doesn't take Scripture seriously or you believe the other way, you are ignorant, narrow minded and don't understand Scripture as well as you should. And our assumptions destroy our trusts.
The political realm is heating up for the presidential campaigns. And the Christian propaganda is churning. "We need to save our country, take it back." And we pray God's Kingdom come but we cannot understand why its taking so long to get here despite the fact we seem to be living for the glory of America instead of the glory of God. And our zeal burns so hot, we burn each other.
I just want to love Jesus. I just keep getting in the way. And I just keep letting lesser things get in the way.

The Hospitality of Listening, part 2

Gearing up for Annual Conference and then General Conference next year as well as the pending vote on same sex marriage in this state  has ignited the discussion debate argument ? over ordaining homosexuals and same sex marriage. And the feelings which caused me to discuss the hospitality of listening the other day, well up in me again.

I listen to both sides and hear the passion on each side. Then I hear the bricks being placed to strengthen the walls. In one conversation I was reading, participants started declaring "if this gets approve, I know several people who will leave the church." And a reply, "several people have left the church because of the stand we take right now." And we swim deeper into the ocean of emotions. These comments don't open dialog but instead close them down. "If we don't act the way I believe, I am leaving." This is a door slamming to dialog, not a door opening. I am aware there are those who would say we shouldn't open the door. How thankful I am that Christ spoke to the woman caught in adultery instead of closing the door. But that is beside the point.

With the threats of people leaving and the understanding there are those who have already left, my question is: Does God abandon us when we get "it" wrong?  Who I understood God to be two decades ago and who I believe God to be today is different. I look back and think "wow, I actually believed that." I can see where I have grown in my relationship and understanding of God. Yet where I was wrong in the past in my beliefs, I was not abandoned by God. If God is a God of grace, then God needs to be able to forgive and sanctify where I am getting it wrong. And I have to believe God does the same in the work of churches and denominations. If God doesn't, God is inconsistent. And in a way, that is where the debate lies for me. What does this say about God? What does our conversation and how we treat each other say about our theology and the God we believe in?
As the churches continue to struggle with the controversial issues, how do we rely on God's grace to work in us and in those who disagree with us? How do we stay in communion with each other as God stays in communion with us? I am no where near perfection, yet I come to the Table and meet Christ there. Will that be enough for us no matter which way the conversation leads us?

Glee meets Jesus

So I am watching Glee. And they are taking on religion today. They hit on a bunch of hot button issues in this episode. I am impressed with their courage. There is the gay issue, the atheists, the Santa image of Jesus, church v. state issues, unanswered prayers, answered silly prayers.
As I get closer to the end of the show, I am torn. Do I want the big prayer answered: Curt's dad to be healed? Or do I want us to stay in the midst of the pain and uncertainty? It seems that is where we are so often.
I think the episode was well done. Respectful yet challenging. It was powerful. I know there will be those who say they were pushing the "gay agenda." And I feel sorry for them. This episode has offered us an opportunity. Can we hear the questions the culture is asking us? asking God? Can we hear and see how the culture is hearing and seeing us and our message? If what they are saying doesn't match up with the Gospel, do we need to work on delivering the Gospel better? Is the message we are proclaiming the Gospel?

Getting it wrong?

I watched the Daily Show with Jon Stewart the other day. His interview was with an atheist talking about moral values. According to this atheists, religion calls people to be moral for bad reasons. Science can call people to be moral for good reasons. His book is The Moral Landscape which deals with this subject.
In the interview, the author states how Catholicism is more interested in birth control than genocide. He also sees the God of Abraham as one who was immoral because he got the slavery issue wrong. Of course, I disagree with him on these points. He seems to be ready to condemn on some bad points but does not look at the good the Catholic Church has also done nor does he look at the year of Jubilee which seems to undo our understanding of slavery.
Despite his tunnel vision to discredit religion, he did raise an interesting point. His interpretation that the Church is focused on certain issues while neglecting other moral issues stopped me in my seat of judgment.
He is getting the message wrong--perhaps partially because he doesn't want to see life any other way than how he sees it. But how are we helping him get it wrong? Are we drumming the abortion issue, the homosexual issue, the sexual issue so much that we are drowning out the Grace of God?
I saw a t-shirt the other day---"God hates us." It seems we are not getting the Gospel out. How do we reclaim the Good News from ourselves?

Where has civilized dialogue gone?

I debated whether to call this Christian dialogue or civilized dialogue....I think conversations today have deteriorated so, I would almost settle for simply civilized...

Last week at Kingdom Bound, a friend led discussion on the Church and Homosexuality. His stand was not really against or for homosexuality but response of love and relationship with homosexuals rather than beating them over the head with Scripture. Of course there were those who became defensive from the faith viewpoint. They were not even hearing my friend's plea or meeting the discussion where it was at.

This week, I have been attacked in a conversation over Scripture and my view. This person questioned my pastoral calling and told me I need help. Not once did this person discuss the Scriptures they raised. They just threw them at me as if I had no voice or reason.

Today, my friend from Kingdom Bound posted a video which discussed the Constitution and Gay marriage. Instead of meeting the argument presented about the Constitution and marriage, one person stated something to the fact gay marriage is an abomination.

Why can't we respond out of love instead of react out of fear? We hear something we disagree with and have to shut down the conversation. We have to build up a wall and then throw stones (name calling, Scripture) at each other. The pharisees did that a lot. They used the law as a wall between them and the world. They used the law as a weapon against those outside. Jesus ate with the sinners and taught them graciously.

Where has civilized and/or Christian dialogue gone?