Wednesday, September 24, 2008

-McChristianity-

A few days ago lunchtime rolled around and my wife and I decided to go to McDonalds. That is to say, my wife decided that I should go to McDonalds and pick lunch up for us. So I did. It was a typical McDonalds experience for the most part; except that in Fresno, where I live now, McDonalds is much slower then they are in Corona where I grew up. I drove up, waited for them to take my order, paid them, received my food praying that they didn’t put ketchup on it, and drove home.

A few days later I was on my way home and was jonesing for a double-double and some animal-style fries. So I pulled into In-N-Out to get my fix and the experience was completely different than the one days before at Mickey D’s. They asked me how I was, (I was well). They asked what I wanted, (I gave them my order). They asked if I wanted grilled onions, (I did). They repeated my order to make sure it was accurate, (it was). They asked if I was going to eat it my car, (I was not). I pulled forward to pay for my food and was greeted with a smile, and another repeat of my order to make sure I was paying for the right thing. They asked if I needed a drink holder, if I’d like ketchup, and told me to feel free to check my bags and make sure everything looked right. I was thanked for my business and told that they hope I have a great day.

Driving home, I was struck by the dichotomy of my two fast food experiences. It wasn’t that McDonalds did anything wrong really, it’s just that In-N-Out took the exact same process and put a better attitude on it resulting in a much more enjoyable experience and greater desire to return there. Which got me to thinking about Christians and our behavior.

I think that many Christians today treat our church and faith like a McDonalds employee as opposed to an In-N-Out employee. Or to put it another way, a lot of people in churches today are McChristians. What I mean is that our attitudes toward our faith don’t come across as someone who is excited about Jesus, church or Christianity in general. We don’t smile enough. Our focus doesn’t seem to be in the here and now. We seem to be just getting through our life so we can die and go to heaven like a McDonalds employee would get through the day so that they could go home. We certainly don’t seem to be a group of people who “rejoice” like Paul did.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should walk around with plastic smiles and pretend to be happy; we definitely shouldn’t. Because happiness is temporary but joy is permanent and I want to live my life displaying joy. To have an attitude that compels others to want to take a second, third, and fourth look at Christianity because of the peace it seems to bring me here and now.

The problem with McCristianity is that the focus is on somewhere else. The central idea is to make my way through life so that when I die I will finally be happy because I’ll get to go to Heaven. I won’t have to put up with this horrible, corrupt, dangerous, and sinful world anymore. I’ll finally be free of it. But we are ALREADY free of it. The Bible is very clear on this and yet we still harbor the “this life is bad” attitude. Yes the world can be scary and sinful and cruel and dangerous but it can also be beautiful and true and good and pure. In fact that is exactly what Jesus wants US to make it.

In what we call “The Lord’s Prayer,” (because we feel the need to label everything Jesus said), Jesus says “Your Kingdom come.” He is asking God for His Kingdom, Heaven, to “come” here to Earth. That is what we’re supposed to want. He didn’t say “Bring us to Your Kingdom.” Jesus wants us to be God’s Kingdom on Earth. But how can I do this if I’m so focused on getting to Heaven. It seems Jesus’ focus was on getting Heaven HERE. McChristianity is robbing the Gospel of one of its central messages, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” and it is our job to do change this; to get out of the rut of McChristianity and display an attitude of joy in the here and now.

Believe me when I say I have conformed to McCristianity myself many, many times. It has a way of subtly taking hold of us and robbing us of the joy that is already ours to claim. But if we really want to take Jesus seriously; if we really want to complete the mission he has given us, then we have to throw it all out. We have to get rid of every part of McChristianity. That means understanding that the gospel is a lifestyle and not just a message. That means living a life of joy and not just happiness. That means learning that Jesus death on the cross was about His glory and not just our salvation. That means being people that God can out of and not just pour in to. And that means being the church and not just going to church.

As Christians we do not work for God Inc. and our church is not a franchise. It isn’t McChurch. When people start treating it like McChruch then it becomes a place to go to have YOUR needs met rather than a place to help meet the needs of others. We have to get out of the McChristianity attitude because people don’t come the church to get an order of salvation with a side of spiritual gifts. We have to get rid of McChurch because Jesus deserves and desires people that will use their time in this world to make it a better and more beautiful place. When God created the world, He said that it was “good.” But good isn’t perfect which means that the world had some growing and advancing to do from day one. That’s our job. Making the world better. Will we do it? Not as long as we’re McChristians.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

-A 2000 Year Conversation-

2000 years is a long time. To me it is anyway. I’m sure some historians and scientists wouldn’t say so because they are used to thinking in terms of millions of years, but for the average Joe on the planet, 2000 years is slightly further back then we can remember. 2000 years ago the Roman Empire was the dominant force in the world and now Rome exists only as a city in Italy. Technologically, we’ve come further in the last two hundred years than we have for the entire time of human history before it. 2000 years could quite easily span over 70 generations of human families. All this to say that a lot can happen in 2000 years.

As I’m sure you are aware, it was about 2000 years ago that Christianity was born. Some followers of a Jewish Rabbi whose name was Jesus, were so devoted to Him that they began teaching others about Him after his departure from this world. They taught that he was the “Christ,” (meaning “anointed one” or “messiah”). Among the leaders of this early movement were men named Peter, John, Saul (who later was referred to as Paul because he lived mainly among Greeks), and James, the half-brother of Jesus. There were many other profoundly important figures in the early Christian movement like Barnabas, Timothy, Matthew, Mark, Stephen, James (a different one), and Silas but the four I mentioned first, were the major influencers of the time, Peter and Paul in particular.

These men, and others, began teaching and writing and recruiting and ultimately, defining what it meant and looked like to be a Christian. Some of the things they wrote demonstrated an almost supernatural quality to them that was able get inside your head and heart and change you at the very core of who you were. Because of this, some of these writings began to be looked at, as God-inspired scripture even while the authors were still alive. We know these writings as The New Testament and scholars and theologians and pastors and reformers and even average Joe’s have been discussing and deciphering these writings now for almost 2000 years.

Over those 2000 years, many conclusions have been drawn about these writings. Theories and dogma have been derived all citing passages and books of the New Testament as evidence of their validity. Calvinism, Armenianism, the TULIP principles, millennialism, amillennialism, election, eternal security, pre, mid and post tribulation theories, and the Trinity are all deep and complex issues that have been discussed over the last two millennia. But we haven’t stopped there. Social propriety and practices have also been discussed and debated. Polygamy, sexuality, slavery, abortion, war, response to the poor, appropriate forms of greeting, dancing, genres of music and other arts, hair length, dress, the role of men and women in the church and home, marriage, divorce, child rearing, and work habits have also found their way into our discussion of the text. What’s funny is how often the conclusion of one Christian directly contradicts the conclusion of another. The bottom line is, Christians have talked a lot over the last 2000 years.

I don’t want to disparage this practice at all. It is through these discussions and debates that we can learn and grow. In our examination of these writings we sometimes find an eternal truth we did not know before. We find answers to questions. But I think that if we are doing it right, the answers we find will also bring us more questions. And so goes the peeling of the endless layers of scripture and the discovery of ultimate truth that is found in God. Personally, I love the debate and discussion. But sometimes I wonder if, in our zeal and desire to dissect every letter of Scripture, we loose sight of the big picture.

At the center of our faith and worldview as Christians is a man named Jesus. An obscure Jewish rabbi who took a small group of people and taught them that God loves them and because of that they should love others. The point was never supposed to be knowing when the rapture would happen or knowing whether or not someone can “lose his or her salvation.” Before any of that mattered, there was Jesus. Plain and simple. And sometimes I think we get so caught up in our own teaching about what scripture says that we forget Jesus.

I’ve had this urge lately to sit down and read the four gospels and be taught by Jesus. To read them over and over and over again until His words sink into my head and heart and penetrate through the 2000 year conversation that my brain and faith has been exposed to. Maybe if I knew more about Jesus and His teachings, the rest of The New Testament wouldn’t be so full of commentary. Maybe if I really let what Jesus said and did and demonstrated saturate my being, all the theories and commentary and dogma and doctrine would begin to get less fuzzy. For 2000 years we’ve been talking about scripture. What if we stopped talking about it and began living like the One who inspired it? What would that look like? I’m not sure really, but I bet it would be beautiful.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

-Magic Words-

Kids can be pretty demanding at times. I suppose that's true of all people when you think about it but lately I've been much more aware of it with my five year old daughter and one year old son. My son Ian, who isn't exactly "fluent" with his English just yet, tends to communicate that he wants something through a series of grunts, screams, whines and generally irritating noises. If he doesn't get what he wants he then proceeds to scream like a witch being boiled and often begins head-butting something, usually my wife's face. So he may not be socially ready to attend a black tie dinner party just yet but fits in great with the NASCAR and WWE crowd.

My daughter, on the other hand, has a working grasp of the English language and so we have higher expectations for her when communicating. Our current efforts are in getting her to say "please" and "thank you," words that are often referred to as "the magic words." I'm not a big fan of the "magic words" analogy really. I think it presents the user with a false sense of inevitability when they're used. They aren't really magic at all. It's simply polite and respectful to use them. And just like using them doesn't guarantee that we'll get what we want, not using them doesn't necessarily disqualify our request either. Sometimes we can ask someone for assistance or a favor, not say "please," and low and behold, they still help us.

I think sometimes we treat God and Christianity like this. Not long ago I was talking to a friend who is also a Christian about another mutual friend. I was explaining to him that our other friend had recently started attending church and began asking me questions about what it means to be baptized. He then asked me if our friend had become a Christian to which I said, "It sounds like it to me." Then he asked, "Did she say the prayer?" "What prayer?" I asked. "You know, the sinners prayer. The prayer to become a Christian."

It seems my friend believed that in order to become a Christian you have to recite a prayer that contained certain elements. It's a typical Christianese formula really, "I'm a sinner, Jesus died for my sins, Jesus is my savior, forgive my sins, yadda yadda yadda, amen." Bingo, you're a Christian now. I once went to one of the big stadium crusades where the speaker gives and invitation to come down and become a Christian at the end. This one actually said, "If you come down on this field and pray this prayer, I guarantee you'll go to heaven when you die." Huh? Really? That's all I have to do?

I am perplexed that Western Christianity has promoted the idea that there are "magic words" we can say to go to heaven. If we just use this secret ancient Christian incantation, God will have no choice but to let us in. It's really ridiculous. Nowhere in the Bible does it say we have to recite a certain prayer, or say certain things to be "in." You will not find a single passage where Paul, Peter, John, Jude, or even Jesus, indicates the necessity of "magic words" to become a follower of Jesus. The closest thing you will find is Romans 10:9 which says:

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (NIV)

Some may think that this passage makes it clear that you must "confess" out loud that Jesus is Lord. This poses a real problem for people who are born mute or who are unable to speak for their "death-bed confession." Plus, have you noticed the complete absence of asking for forgiveness in this verse? The idea behind this verse is your heart. What Paul was getting at here is that if you "believe in your heart" then you won't be able to help but to "confess with your mouth." I'm afraid there are no "magic words" or there is no special prayer that you must say to become a Christian. It is simply a belief that starts in your heart and begins to pour out of you from there.

Please don't mistake what I'm saying here. Confessing that we are flawed sinners, acknowledging that Jesus died for us, and committing our lives to Him are all very good things. I am not disparaging the practice of the "sinner's prayer" in any way. I had said it myself and have led others in it. I am, however, taking issue with the idea that it MUST be done or God can't and won't accept us as Christians. That is certainly a very narrow view of a very big God.

Even if "magic words" are magic they are still only words. Of the thousands of people who walked down on that field at the stadium crusade I mentioned, I wonder how many are still "believing in their hearts" what they once "confessed with their mouth." Confession is a beautiful thing. It helps us to deal with the pain of life and our own shortcomings. But without the "believing" that must precede it, confession is just words. And there's nothing very magical about that.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

-More Than Just A Sit-Com-

I had a conversation recently about dealing with our hurt. Hurt and pain are interesting phenomenon really. Physical pain has a purpose. It is either letting you know that something is wrong, (like a bone is broken or muscle sprained) or it is telling you that you are growing. I remember when my brother and I were young and he grew 11.5 inches in height in one year's time. I swear I could see him growing. It was during this time that I learned that "Growing Pains" was more than just a teeny-bopper sit-com.

What I remember most is being woken up at night on occasion because my brother was in so much pain he was almost screaming. I, myself, experienced similar growing pains but nothing to the degree of his. I find it interesting that God would wire our bodies in such a way that physical growth would actual cause discomfort and even pain. What I have learned is that the same is true for all types of growth. Emotional, psychological, relational and spiritual growth also hurt in their respective ways.

I remember when I was 18. I had a great life at 18. I was out of High School, I still lived with my parents and therefore had no real bills to speak of, my primary source of income was playing in a band, which I loved, I had several terrific friends and was hopelessly in love with my girlfriend at the time. Please understand, when I say hopelessly in love I mean it. Her names was Rachel, (actual I'm pretty sure that's still her name), and I swore the sun rose and set in her smile. We laughed a lot, and she could fit in to any setting I put her in. My band friends, my church friends, my family, my friends from High School; no matter who we were with, she fit in easily and everyone loved her. I was so enamored with her and was seriously beginning to plan a marriage proposal in the upcoming months. To this day I don't think she realizes how in love with her I was.

Then one day it ended. Actually it probably ended weeks before it actually ended but the long and short of it was that it was over. I can still remember the instant it occurred to me. I could describe the moment with extreme detail and accuracy even now. But as difficult and painful as that moment was, it was nothing compared to the weeks and months that followed.

I was a mess for a long time after that. Not on the outside though. I'm too good at feigning happiness and contentment to display the agony I was truly in. No, on the outside I was just fine. Inside, however, I was a basket case. The loss of joy was such a one-eighty from where I was that my mind and emotions couldn't take it in. I was hurting so much and felt like it would never end. It wasn't long before it began to manifest physically.

I became so sick that I couldn't eat anything. When I did it just came back up within a few hours. I lost 15 pounds in two days and was so dehydrated that my temperature got to 106 degrees. I went to the emergency room where, while sitting in the waiting room, I felt I had to vomit. They let me use the restroom when I told them. I went in and vomited up some stomach acid because that is all I had in my stomach. I remember kneeling in front of my wide mouthed, white porcelain friend offering up the bitter, stinging contents of my stomach. The next thing I can recall is waking up on a gurney with an I.V. in my arm and my body drinking in it's electrolyte contents.

As I recovered alone from my physical illness over the next few days I tried to ignore the real loneliness I felt. It didn't work. So there, in my bed, I began dealing with the hurt I was going through. I decided to stop trying to go around it and start going through it. Suffice to say… it really sucked.

A close friend of mine, Mike, began to help me walk through it. He dealt with my anger, my frustration and my tears better than I could have hoped for. One of his biggest means of contribution was to assist me in discerning when I was just feeling sorry for myself and when I was really hurting. Finally after about four or five months from our Break-up, I realized that I still missed Rachel so much. Mike finally told me to just ask her to get back together. If she said yes then hey, problem solved. If she said no then at least I wouldn't be playing the "what if" game anymore.

So I did. Rachel and I had continued to talk after the break-up and even still hung out every now and then. So one night as I dropped her off I asked if thinks we could start seeing each other again. I said that i knew that there were reasons we broke up but said, "I can get past it if you can." She just said, "Let's talk about this later, John," which I understood to really mean, "No." And so we didn't talk about it later…because there was nothing to talk about. But the next morning I felt better than I had in a long, long time.

The pain and the hurt I went through sucked. Seriously, it was brutal and I don't remember ever hurting that bad before or since that time in my life. But I grew from it. I learned that I could say something like, "I can get passed it if you can." The ability to say and do that made all the difference in the relationships that followed and have impacted my marriage in an immensely positive way even today. I have come to realize that the hurt I was going through at the time wasn't emptiness or loneliness; it was just growing pains. I mean, it sucked and all at the time, but just like my brother wouldn't be 6'4" today if he didn't have his growing pains, I wouldn't be as emotionally or relationally tall as I am today if I didn't have mine.

Incidentally, despite some strange bumps in the road, Rachel and I remain in loose contact even today. We are both very happily married and actually attended each other's weddings. That bit of information really has nothing to do with this post…I just thought it was pretty cool.