Sunday, November 28, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Just Answer the Question!
I got sucked into watching the election returns last night and ended up staying up way too late. But I want to share some thoughts about what I saw. For those of you reading on facebook, you may want to come to the actual blog site so you can see the videos.
This post is not about MSNBC. It is not about any of the hosts. It is not about what I think about republicans or democrats or the policies they champion.
The only thing I want to talk about is how the people who are interviewed respond to the questions given to them. So if you have time, watch the following videos and see if you notice a common theme.
Ok. Now check this one out.
And behind door number 3?
For the record, I agree with Chris. She does look hypnotized. I have never had a conversation with an actual person that resembled that. I have, however, tried to make things happen on a computer only to get the same error message over and over and over again. Interesting . . .
Did you notice something? Not a single one of the people interviewed answered the question that was asked of them. And they all should have been able to do it.
Why?
Perhaps because they honestly don't know the answer. But that would be silly. If you are not going to let the Bush tax cuts expire then you should (theoretically) have a plan for where the money for decreasing the deficit is going to come from. And you should have a specific plan because $700 billion is a lot of money.
They have said they won't cut anything from defense, medicare or social security. So where then? I simply cannot believe that they don't know.
So maybe they DO know but they just don't want to say. But why would they do that? Why would they purposefully without crucial details of their plan? Maybe because they know it will be unpopular? Well, you are already elected so what can it hurt to say?
To be honest, this is really what I think. I think that by taking certain things off the table, they know that the cuts will have to come from some other place. And it will probably be a thing that we totally take for granted and would never consider cutting from the budget, like the Department of Education.
Or maybe Michael Steele's reason is the real reason (jump to about 3:36 to get to it):
Yes, they were just too excited to answer the simple question.
But they were not too excited to spout off pre-programed talking points. Did you hear any phrases that seemed to keep coming up?
"The American people have spoken loud and clear . . ." (that phrase really doesn't mean anything)
"You're not listening . . ."
"Cut discretionary spending . . ."
"Big government . . ."
These interviews were essentially useless. There was no actual information given, only talking points. Talking points can be helpful if they actually mean something but these didn't. And it is SOOOOO frustrating!
You know why they use talking points? Because when something is repeated enough people start to believe it is true. That is why each of the people interviewed essentially said the exact same thing. The more they get the message out the more people will believe it.
They are not interested in a conversation or an interview. It is like the looked at each question as a way to get to the talking points, even if it made no sense at all.
This is not discourse. This is not debate. This is not conversation. This is not relationship. This is just not how real people talk to each other. The people in the United States government are supposed to represent us. And in my life, when I disagree with someone, I can still have an intelligent conversation with them by responding to the questions they ask me. Is it too much to ask that our politicians be able to do the same? Is this how they talk at the dinner table? (This makes me want to write a skit about it. Maybe I will do that someday . . .)
This is not what I saw here. They owe us straight answers. They owe it to us to talk to us like we are real, reasonable people capable of sifting through the facts and making an informed decision.
That was acting. And they did a good job not breaking character.
Or they really don't know what they are going to do.
Either way, no good.
This post is not about MSNBC. It is not about any of the hosts. It is not about what I think about republicans or democrats or the policies they champion.
The only thing I want to talk about is how the people who are interviewed respond to the questions given to them. So if you have time, watch the following videos and see if you notice a common theme.
Ok. Now check this one out.
And behind door number 3?
For the record, I agree with Chris. She does look hypnotized. I have never had a conversation with an actual person that resembled that. I have, however, tried to make things happen on a computer only to get the same error message over and over and over again. Interesting . . .
Did you notice something? Not a single one of the people interviewed answered the question that was asked of them. And they all should have been able to do it.
Why?
Perhaps because they honestly don't know the answer. But that would be silly. If you are not going to let the Bush tax cuts expire then you should (theoretically) have a plan for where the money for decreasing the deficit is going to come from. And you should have a specific plan because $700 billion is a lot of money.
They have said they won't cut anything from defense, medicare or social security. So where then? I simply cannot believe that they don't know.
So maybe they DO know but they just don't want to say. But why would they do that? Why would they purposefully without crucial details of their plan? Maybe because they know it will be unpopular? Well, you are already elected so what can it hurt to say?
To be honest, this is really what I think. I think that by taking certain things off the table, they know that the cuts will have to come from some other place. And it will probably be a thing that we totally take for granted and would never consider cutting from the budget, like the Department of Education.
Or maybe Michael Steele's reason is the real reason (jump to about 3:36 to get to it):
Yes, they were just too excited to answer the simple question.
But they were not too excited to spout off pre-programed talking points. Did you hear any phrases that seemed to keep coming up?
"The American people have spoken loud and clear . . ." (that phrase really doesn't mean anything)
"You're not listening . . ."
"Cut discretionary spending . . ."
"Big government . . ."
These interviews were essentially useless. There was no actual information given, only talking points. Talking points can be helpful if they actually mean something but these didn't. And it is SOOOOO frustrating!
You know why they use talking points? Because when something is repeated enough people start to believe it is true. That is why each of the people interviewed essentially said the exact same thing. The more they get the message out the more people will believe it.
They are not interested in a conversation or an interview. It is like the looked at each question as a way to get to the talking points, even if it made no sense at all.
This is not discourse. This is not debate. This is not conversation. This is not relationship. This is just not how real people talk to each other. The people in the United States government are supposed to represent us. And in my life, when I disagree with someone, I can still have an intelligent conversation with them by responding to the questions they ask me. Is it too much to ask that our politicians be able to do the same? Is this how they talk at the dinner table? (This makes me want to write a skit about it. Maybe I will do that someday . . .)
This is not what I saw here. They owe us straight answers. They owe it to us to talk to us like we are real, reasonable people capable of sifting through the facts and making an informed decision.
That was acting. And they did a good job not breaking character.
Or they really don't know what they are going to do.
Either way, no good.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
15 Authors in 15 Minutes
I am stealing this from Kathy Khang's blog and thought it would be fun to do.
Here are 15 authors whose work has influenced or impacted me in some significant way. A lot of these I have already talked about on this blog. Here we go!
N.T. Wright: This guy opened up a whole world of possibilities in my faith. Reading his work makes the Bible come alive in ways I didn't think it could. I have found a more compelling faith because of him.
J.R.R. Tolkein: Lord of the Rings. Do I need to say more? No, but I will. I have read only a few books multiple times. This was one of them. I remember finishing it the first time and feeling like I was saying goodbye to my friends. I missed Frodo and Sam and wanted to start reading it again immediately.
J.K Rowling: Yes, I love Harry Potter. I fought it for so long and finally gave in. Those stories are a gift.
Orson Scott Card: Card can be hit or miss but when he writes a good book it is GOOD! Ender's game is one of my all time favorites. I have read it 3 times and the third was the most enjoyable. Each time I see more and more depth and nuance in the story. It is the kind of book that makes you want to write.
Tim Keller: The Reason For God is one of the best out there. And this guy can PREACH!
Terry Goodkind: He held my interest for 11 books in a row. The Sword of Truth had its high points and low points but that was a fun 6 months of reading.
Khaled Hosseni: He has two books and I have loved them both. He helped me understand a culture that is foreign to me in a new way with powerfully moving stories.
Robin Hobb: Another fantasy writer. I have only read one of her series but it was great. Everyone should go read the Liveship Traders. So creative and such great characters.
Rob Bell: Gotta give a shout out to Bell. He sees things in such an interesting way and is a really great communicator. Looking forward to whatever is next from him.
William Goldman: The Princess Bride. I have to be honest and say that I have been more influenced by the movie but he wrote the screenplay as well. The book was hilarious.
Jon Stewart: Yes, he is an author. He and the rest of The Daily Show writers. America the Book was laugh-out-oud funny on every single page.
4 more! I can do it!
Henri Nouwen: I have only read one of his books but and it was really short but it was so good. "In the Name of Jesus" was enriching, convicting, and thought provoking all at the same time.
Andy Crouch: "Culture Making" was like putting on a pair of glasses and then realizing you have never really been able to see before. Yes. I think that describes it. I still think about that book often.
M. Scott Peck: I have been required to read "The Road Less Traveled" twice. The first time i resented it mostly because I was not ready to receive what it had to say. The next time was much better. His thoughts on love and discipline will shape me for a long time.
Richard Foster: You can't go wrong with this guy.
So looking at my list I notice that most of the authors I read are white men. So does anyone know some good women of color I should read?
Here are 15 authors whose work has influenced or impacted me in some significant way. A lot of these I have already talked about on this blog. Here we go!
N.T. Wright: This guy opened up a whole world of possibilities in my faith. Reading his work makes the Bible come alive in ways I didn't think it could. I have found a more compelling faith because of him.
J.R.R. Tolkein: Lord of the Rings. Do I need to say more? No, but I will. I have read only a few books multiple times. This was one of them. I remember finishing it the first time and feeling like I was saying goodbye to my friends. I missed Frodo and Sam and wanted to start reading it again immediately.
J.K Rowling: Yes, I love Harry Potter. I fought it for so long and finally gave in. Those stories are a gift.
Orson Scott Card: Card can be hit or miss but when he writes a good book it is GOOD! Ender's game is one of my all time favorites. I have read it 3 times and the third was the most enjoyable. Each time I see more and more depth and nuance in the story. It is the kind of book that makes you want to write.
Tim Keller: The Reason For God is one of the best out there. And this guy can PREACH!
Terry Goodkind: He held my interest for 11 books in a row. The Sword of Truth had its high points and low points but that was a fun 6 months of reading.
Khaled Hosseni: He has two books and I have loved them both. He helped me understand a culture that is foreign to me in a new way with powerfully moving stories.
Robin Hobb: Another fantasy writer. I have only read one of her series but it was great. Everyone should go read the Liveship Traders. So creative and such great characters.
Rob Bell: Gotta give a shout out to Bell. He sees things in such an interesting way and is a really great communicator. Looking forward to whatever is next from him.
William Goldman: The Princess Bride. I have to be honest and say that I have been more influenced by the movie but he wrote the screenplay as well. The book was hilarious.
Jon Stewart: Yes, he is an author. He and the rest of The Daily Show writers. America the Book was laugh-out-oud funny on every single page.
4 more! I can do it!
Henri Nouwen: I have only read one of his books but and it was really short but it was so good. "In the Name of Jesus" was enriching, convicting, and thought provoking all at the same time.
Andy Crouch: "Culture Making" was like putting on a pair of glasses and then realizing you have never really been able to see before. Yes. I think that describes it. I still think about that book often.
M. Scott Peck: I have been required to read "The Road Less Traveled" twice. The first time i resented it mostly because I was not ready to receive what it had to say. The next time was much better. His thoughts on love and discipline will shape me for a long time.
Richard Foster: You can't go wrong with this guy.
So looking at my list I notice that most of the authors I read are white men. So does anyone know some good women of color I should read?
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Ethics or the Cross?
It is a dangerous thing to cruise the religion section of the Huffington Post and I admire the guts of any Christian who posts something there. The comments section can be brutal. Most of the time I choose not to look at them. But today I did after reading an article by Jim Wallis on bullying.
A lot of the comments basically boiled down to this:
Christians, if they really want to stop the problem, will just need to stop being Christians because their teaching is the cause of the bullying in the first place. Jim Wallis is a hypocrite.
Then they would usually bring up something about the stupidness and impracticality of "love the sinner, hate the sin."
After reading them, I became convinced that most people hadn't even read the article. If they had, they certainly weren't responding to it. They were responding to some other beef they had with people who follow Jesus.
Another thing that happened (and I think Wallis was guilty of this a bit as well) was that the whole "discussion" devolved into ethics. It was all about the teachings of Jesus.
Now, don't get me wrong. I love the teachings of Jesus. I study them with my students. I wrestle with them. I am angered by them. But at the end of the day, I think they are not what it is all about.
If we are going to talk about bullying, we can certainly bring up times when Jesus taught about loving our enemies or serving each other or loving the least of these. And I think those are great things to bring up.
But if Christians stop there (and I think we have given that it seems EVERYONE thinks this is all about ethics) then we miss the whole reason for our faith.
We don't follow and trust and worship Jesus because he was a good teacher. We do those things because he was God in the flesh. We do those things because he took the sins of the world upon himself and died in our place. He suffered unimaginably for our sake.
And he did it for everyone. There is no one that his love does not extend to, even if they don't realize it or want it.
And God raised him from the dead, unleashing a whole new creation right into the middle of this one.
We can't stop at ethics! We always have to go back to the cross!
We stand with the bullied because we know that Jesus loves them and died for them and we cannot stand by while someone tries to take that away from them. We forgive and love the bully because we know that on the cross Jesus forgave the people that bullied him.
We know that God has shown that he loves the whole world, no exceptions.
It doesn't matter if we like the way someone lives. It doesn't matter if we disagree with them. It doesn't matter if someone is gay and you aren't sure that is a good way to live.
Jesus died for them.
That changes the whole conversation. I think that gives Christians a more compelling reason to stand up to injustice than anyone else can offer. Let's not settle for an ethics debate.
Let us remember the full story. Let us remember the cross. Let us remember the empty tomb. And may we and the world be forever changed by it.
A lot of the comments basically boiled down to this:
Christians, if they really want to stop the problem, will just need to stop being Christians because their teaching is the cause of the bullying in the first place. Jim Wallis is a hypocrite.
Then they would usually bring up something about the stupidness and impracticality of "love the sinner, hate the sin."
After reading them, I became convinced that most people hadn't even read the article. If they had, they certainly weren't responding to it. They were responding to some other beef they had with people who follow Jesus.
Another thing that happened (and I think Wallis was guilty of this a bit as well) was that the whole "discussion" devolved into ethics. It was all about the teachings of Jesus.
Now, don't get me wrong. I love the teachings of Jesus. I study them with my students. I wrestle with them. I am angered by them. But at the end of the day, I think they are not what it is all about.
If we are going to talk about bullying, we can certainly bring up times when Jesus taught about loving our enemies or serving each other or loving the least of these. And I think those are great things to bring up.
But if Christians stop there (and I think we have given that it seems EVERYONE thinks this is all about ethics) then we miss the whole reason for our faith.
We don't follow and trust and worship Jesus because he was a good teacher. We do those things because he was God in the flesh. We do those things because he took the sins of the world upon himself and died in our place. He suffered unimaginably for our sake.
And he did it for everyone. There is no one that his love does not extend to, even if they don't realize it or want it.
And God raised him from the dead, unleashing a whole new creation right into the middle of this one.
We can't stop at ethics! We always have to go back to the cross!
We stand with the bullied because we know that Jesus loves them and died for them and we cannot stand by while someone tries to take that away from them. We forgive and love the bully because we know that on the cross Jesus forgave the people that bullied him.
We know that God has shown that he loves the whole world, no exceptions.
It doesn't matter if we like the way someone lives. It doesn't matter if we disagree with them. It doesn't matter if someone is gay and you aren't sure that is a good way to live.
Jesus died for them.
That changes the whole conversation. I think that gives Christians a more compelling reason to stand up to injustice than anyone else can offer. Let's not settle for an ethics debate.
Let us remember the full story. Let us remember the cross. Let us remember the empty tomb. And may we and the world be forever changed by it.
The Mirror and the Open Window
I smashed a mirror tonight.
I set it up, grabbed a baseball bat and swung it right into the middle.
And it shattered into a million pieces (And it was Awesome!)
Mirrors are interesting things. Their whole purpose is to let us stare at ourselves. When I stare at a mirror, the one thing that becomes the focus of my vision is me. I am all that I see.
One thing I notice when I look in a mirror is my imperfections. I see the gut. I see the teeth that aren't quite straight. I see the zit that has no business being on a 28 year-old's face. Ear hair? WTF?
Other times I see the good things. Yes, I am a handsome man. My hair looks pretty good when it is short. If I was a girl I would be attracted to me.
And I want to know if it is possible that for most of us, myself included, the mirror has become the lens through which we view the world?
When I enter a new situation, am I looking at my imperfections? Do I see the ways that I am inadequate? Because I often find myself saying and doing things that are an attempt to make me look good. Like I need to prove myself to the people I am with. I will put someone else down (even someone who I know works their butt off to do what they do) because it makes me feel better.
In some sick way the people I am with have become tools to get me what I want. They have something I want and I will do what it takes to get it. It could be praise. It could be respect. It could be a job. It could be sex. But they have it and I want it.
Because I am looking into a mirror.
I also will enter a new situation and find all the ways I am better than the people there. I have managed to convince myself that I am smarter or better looking or more talented and that these people have nothing to offer me.
In some sick way the people I am with have become obstacles or threats. I can't associate with them because they are beneath me. Why would I waste my time there?
Because I am looking into a mirror.
All I can see is me. My wants. My needs. My goals. My desires. My hopes. My fears. My insecurities. My pain. Me, me, me.
I am starting to see the ways that this general posture towards the world is death. How much evil has been done in the world because people decided that their own needs were more important than the needs of others?
And I think that the worst way we do this is when we do it with God.
This is called religion.
Religion is viewing God through our mirror. We see our imperfections so we have to prove ourselves to God. So we do good. We go to church. We read our Bible. But it is all based out of guilt and shame. We are trying to manipulate God to like us more.
Or we think we are better than him. We think he owes us something. Or our good deeds and good works are already good enough and we don't need him at all. He can't offer us anything because we already have what we need. Submitting to him would be to lose all we have worked for.
That is what happens when God becomes all about us. Guilt, shame, fear, and arrogance.
So what is the cure? This feels like a big problem.
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4
Humility. Humility is the cure.
Not thinking less of ourselves. But thinking of ourselves less. A humble person is able to care about the people around them. A humble person does not see the world through a mirror.
A humble person uses an open window.
There is only what is on the other side. They can see the people and the world outside. There is nothing getting in the way of them seeing, knowing, and responding to the needs of others around them.
An open window has no reflection.
But if there is no reflection, how will we know what we look like? How will we see the imperfections? How will we know when we look good?
We are going to have to trust someone else's opinion of us.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8
It would seem that this is God's opinion of us: We are sinners. We have rejected God by focusing on ourselves. We have brought sin, division, destruction, and death into the world.
And yet Christ dies for us because of his great love.
What would happen if we started trusting his opinion of us?
What if every day I reminded myself that I was a sinner saved by the amazing grace and love of God? And what if I began to see that everyone else was exactly the same?
What if I let Jesus smash my mirror? What if I stopped filling my vision with myself and began looking out the window to where Jesus was leading?
Well now that would change everything wouldn't it?
I would be free to love people because I knew I was loved.
I could be someone's friend not because I needed a friend (I already have the best one possible with Jesus) but because THEY needed a friend.
I could lay my life down for someone else's sake because someone laid down their life for me.
I pray that you will let Jesus smash your mirror.
I pray that you will trust his opinion of you.
I pray that you will follow him out the open window into his beautiful world where he is inviting you into life and life abundant.
So tonight I literally took a mirror and smashed it with a bat. I don't believe in seven years of bad luck.
I believe I just took a step into grace.
I set it up, grabbed a baseball bat and swung it right into the middle.
And it shattered into a million pieces (And it was Awesome!)
Mirrors are interesting things. Their whole purpose is to let us stare at ourselves. When I stare at a mirror, the one thing that becomes the focus of my vision is me. I am all that I see.
One thing I notice when I look in a mirror is my imperfections. I see the gut. I see the teeth that aren't quite straight. I see the zit that has no business being on a 28 year-old's face. Ear hair? WTF?
Other times I see the good things. Yes, I am a handsome man. My hair looks pretty good when it is short. If I was a girl I would be attracted to me.
And I want to know if it is possible that for most of us, myself included, the mirror has become the lens through which we view the world?
When I enter a new situation, am I looking at my imperfections? Do I see the ways that I am inadequate? Because I often find myself saying and doing things that are an attempt to make me look good. Like I need to prove myself to the people I am with. I will put someone else down (even someone who I know works their butt off to do what they do) because it makes me feel better.
In some sick way the people I am with have become tools to get me what I want. They have something I want and I will do what it takes to get it. It could be praise. It could be respect. It could be a job. It could be sex. But they have it and I want it.
Because I am looking into a mirror.
I also will enter a new situation and find all the ways I am better than the people there. I have managed to convince myself that I am smarter or better looking or more talented and that these people have nothing to offer me.
In some sick way the people I am with have become obstacles or threats. I can't associate with them because they are beneath me. Why would I waste my time there?
Because I am looking into a mirror.
All I can see is me. My wants. My needs. My goals. My desires. My hopes. My fears. My insecurities. My pain. Me, me, me.
I am starting to see the ways that this general posture towards the world is death. How much evil has been done in the world because people decided that their own needs were more important than the needs of others?
And I think that the worst way we do this is when we do it with God.
This is called religion.
Religion is viewing God through our mirror. We see our imperfections so we have to prove ourselves to God. So we do good. We go to church. We read our Bible. But it is all based out of guilt and shame. We are trying to manipulate God to like us more.
Or we think we are better than him. We think he owes us something. Or our good deeds and good works are already good enough and we don't need him at all. He can't offer us anything because we already have what we need. Submitting to him would be to lose all we have worked for.
That is what happens when God becomes all about us. Guilt, shame, fear, and arrogance.
So what is the cure? This feels like a big problem.
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4
Humility. Humility is the cure.
Not thinking less of ourselves. But thinking of ourselves less. A humble person is able to care about the people around them. A humble person does not see the world through a mirror.
A humble person uses an open window.
There is only what is on the other side. They can see the people and the world outside. There is nothing getting in the way of them seeing, knowing, and responding to the needs of others around them.
An open window has no reflection.
But if there is no reflection, how will we know what we look like? How will we see the imperfections? How will we know when we look good?
We are going to have to trust someone else's opinion of us.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8
It would seem that this is God's opinion of us: We are sinners. We have rejected God by focusing on ourselves. We have brought sin, division, destruction, and death into the world.
And yet Christ dies for us because of his great love.
What would happen if we started trusting his opinion of us?
What if every day I reminded myself that I was a sinner saved by the amazing grace and love of God? And what if I began to see that everyone else was exactly the same?
What if I let Jesus smash my mirror? What if I stopped filling my vision with myself and began looking out the window to where Jesus was leading?
Well now that would change everything wouldn't it?
I would be free to love people because I knew I was loved.
I could be someone's friend not because I needed a friend (I already have the best one possible with Jesus) but because THEY needed a friend.
I could lay my life down for someone else's sake because someone laid down their life for me.
I pray that you will let Jesus smash your mirror.
I pray that you will trust his opinion of you.
I pray that you will follow him out the open window into his beautiful world where he is inviting you into life and life abundant.
So tonight I literally took a mirror and smashed it with a bat. I don't believe in seven years of bad luck.
I believe I just took a step into grace.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Springboards Into Who-Knows-What.
There were a couple of comments on my previous posts that were fantastic and very well thought out. They got me thinking about some other stuff so I want to take a little break and use them as a springboard for some different ideas.
So thanks commenters! (Interesting word: Commenter. Is that like a co-mentor? Like you are joining with someone else to mentor somebody? That was an example of a springboard.)
Here are the comments:
"And if it was proven there was no god tomorrow I doubt you'd change Ben because you strike me as a genuine person, not someone who is acting good to get past the white gates."
"We have broken from God, and our morals and ethics are an effort to be right with him again...to be whole, clean, good."
Even reading these again I realize that I read them incorrectly the first time through. But I am still diving off! Huzzah!
In them I was reminded of MTD. That our morals, good works, and efforts are things that get us to God. The get us past the pearly gates. This may not have been what they were saying but I think that is basically what a lot of people think.
That isn't what Jesus taught. It is not what he lived. That is a religion of appeasement and I want nothing to do with it.
It is an ancient religion. I might say that most religions in history have been variants of that to some degree. They might say that something has gone wrong in the world and in order to escape this dreadful place we need to do enough good to prove to god we are worthy of moving on. OR to survive and live well here we need to prove that we are worthy of it. For a great 90 minute "lecture" on this I highly recommend "The Gods Aren't Angry" by Rob Bell.
Ok, I just kind of lost my train of thought. So I am going to jump back to the comments and dive in a different direction. Blog ADD much?
What do we mean by doing good?
My experience with people talking about being good or doing good is that it is usually a pretty generous definition. They also set a pretty low bar.
Be nice. Don't be a jerk. Don't rape or kill people. Occasionally get involved with a "cause" of some kind.
That is easy. I can do all of those without even trying. Why on earth would you invent religion to get that out of people?
According to Christians, at the center of the universe, of everything, is a God who loves sacrificially. There is a God who sacrifices himself for the people and the world he created and loves.
And by sacrifice I mean death. The God who is the source of all life is also the God who subjected himself to death. He entered into the self-inflicted suffering of his creation and let it do its worst to him.
And then, when it seemed all hope was lost he beat death by raising from the dead.
So when we as Christians say we follow Jesus, it literally means we are trusting that laying down our life for the sake of others is the way to find true life.
God created us to join with him in making something good out of the world. We said no and lost ourselves. We have been feeling the effects ever since. God loves us too much to stay that way. He made a way to join in with him again. The old way, the rebellious way (sin) must be put to death and God must raise us up. Then and only then can we be who we were always meant to be.
This has nothing to do with earning it or proving ourselves. It is God's grace that allows us to be redeemed this way.
(There is a lot I haven't filled out here. If you have questions, please let me know.)
So we have a radically different idea of what "being good" is: Sacrificial love. Laying down what we want for the sake of other people. Realizing that we are sick and broken and need a doctor's prescription to be made well again. Loving those who hate us. Praying for those who persecute us. Treating others like they are more important than we are. And a whole host of other counter-intuitive things.
We trust that this is what we were made for and that when God renews the world the way he renewed Jesus at the Resurrection, those things will be shown for what they are and God will use them to finally heal the world.
So in response to the first comment: I would still be nice (but probably a little less so). I would in general no be a jerk (when I liked the other person). I would not be raping or killing anyone but I can tell you that I would be WAY more likely to use people for my own pleasure rather than seeking to lay my life down for their sake.
I would change if it was proven there was no God.
What you would see is all the little ways I chose evil get magnified. Because I know that I am not a good person. I am selfish. I am lustful. I am arrogant. I probably think I am better than you. I have addictions. I am apathetic toward the suffering in the world. I am concerned first and foremost with my own comfort.
And if there is no God at the center of this who died so I could reclaim what I am supposed to be then there is no reason for me to change.
If this is all there is, then what the hell does radical self-sacrifice get you?
Ok. That is it for now. Again, feel free to comment and ask questions (like, why didn't you talk about the Holy Spirit?). Look what the last comments did!
So thanks commenters! (Interesting word: Commenter. Is that like a co-mentor? Like you are joining with someone else to mentor somebody? That was an example of a springboard.)
Here are the comments:
"And if it was proven there was no god tomorrow I doubt you'd change Ben because you strike me as a genuine person, not someone who is acting good to get past the white gates."
"We have broken from God, and our morals and ethics are an effort to be right with him again...to be whole, clean, good."
Even reading these again I realize that I read them incorrectly the first time through. But I am still diving off! Huzzah!
In them I was reminded of MTD. That our morals, good works, and efforts are things that get us to God. The get us past the pearly gates. This may not have been what they were saying but I think that is basically what a lot of people think.
That isn't what Jesus taught. It is not what he lived. That is a religion of appeasement and I want nothing to do with it.
It is an ancient religion. I might say that most religions in history have been variants of that to some degree. They might say that something has gone wrong in the world and in order to escape this dreadful place we need to do enough good to prove to god we are worthy of moving on. OR to survive and live well here we need to prove that we are worthy of it. For a great 90 minute "lecture" on this I highly recommend "The Gods Aren't Angry" by Rob Bell.
Ok, I just kind of lost my train of thought. So I am going to jump back to the comments and dive in a different direction. Blog ADD much?
What do we mean by doing good?
My experience with people talking about being good or doing good is that it is usually a pretty generous definition. They also set a pretty low bar.
Be nice. Don't be a jerk. Don't rape or kill people. Occasionally get involved with a "cause" of some kind.
That is easy. I can do all of those without even trying. Why on earth would you invent religion to get that out of people?
According to Christians, at the center of the universe, of everything, is a God who loves sacrificially. There is a God who sacrifices himself for the people and the world he created and loves.
And by sacrifice I mean death. The God who is the source of all life is also the God who subjected himself to death. He entered into the self-inflicted suffering of his creation and let it do its worst to him.
And then, when it seemed all hope was lost he beat death by raising from the dead.
So when we as Christians say we follow Jesus, it literally means we are trusting that laying down our life for the sake of others is the way to find true life.
God created us to join with him in making something good out of the world. We said no and lost ourselves. We have been feeling the effects ever since. God loves us too much to stay that way. He made a way to join in with him again. The old way, the rebellious way (sin) must be put to death and God must raise us up. Then and only then can we be who we were always meant to be.
This has nothing to do with earning it or proving ourselves. It is God's grace that allows us to be redeemed this way.
(There is a lot I haven't filled out here. If you have questions, please let me know.)
So we have a radically different idea of what "being good" is: Sacrificial love. Laying down what we want for the sake of other people. Realizing that we are sick and broken and need a doctor's prescription to be made well again. Loving those who hate us. Praying for those who persecute us. Treating others like they are more important than we are. And a whole host of other counter-intuitive things.
We trust that this is what we were made for and that when God renews the world the way he renewed Jesus at the Resurrection, those things will be shown for what they are and God will use them to finally heal the world.
So in response to the first comment: I would still be nice (but probably a little less so). I would in general no be a jerk (when I liked the other person). I would not be raping or killing anyone but I can tell you that I would be WAY more likely to use people for my own pleasure rather than seeking to lay my life down for their sake.
I would change if it was proven there was no God.
What you would see is all the little ways I chose evil get magnified. Because I know that I am not a good person. I am selfish. I am lustful. I am arrogant. I probably think I am better than you. I have addictions. I am apathetic toward the suffering in the world. I am concerned first and foremost with my own comfort.
And if there is no God at the center of this who died so I could reclaim what I am supposed to be then there is no reason for me to change.
If this is all there is, then what the hell does radical self-sacrifice get you?
Ok. That is it for now. Again, feel free to comment and ask questions (like, why didn't you talk about the Holy Spirit?). Look what the last comments did!
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