Words from C.S. Lewis are always both insightful and challenging. I read these words from Mere Christianity this morning.
"If you do not take the distinction between good and bad very seriously, then it is easy to say that anything you find in this world is part of God. But, of course, if you think some things really bad, and God really good, then you cannot talk like that. You must believe that God is separate from the world and that some of the things we see in it are contrary to His will. Confronted with a cancer or a slum the Pantheist can say, 'If you could only see it from the divine point of view, you would realise that this also is God.' The Christian replies, 'Don't talk damned nonsense.' For Christianity is a fighting religion. It thinks God made the world--that space and time, heat and cold, and all the colours and tastes, and all the animals and vegetables, are things that God 'made up out of His head' as a man makes up a story. But it also thinks that a great many things have gone wrong with the world that God made and that God insists, and insists very loudly, on our putting them right again."
Monday, April 18, 2005
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Power-Plays
I've done a lot of thinking t about power over the last few days. For some reason everyone seems to want to be in power, keep others out of power, know people in power, or influence those in power. This is quite natural, I suspect.
Anyone who aspires to freedom or self-determination can easily surmise that power is the fast-lane, one-way highway for reaching that goal. Unfortunately, I see very little in the way of power-grabbing in the way Jesus lived. As a matter of fact, Jesus does not only not reach for power, He goes out of His way to relinquish it; to "empty himself," as the apostle Paul put it.
When Peter ask Jesus what the disciples will receive at the end of days, the Savior responds with blessings but then informs the disciples that many who are now first shall be last. "The first shall be last," is the same statement Jesus made when the disciples were arguing among themselves about which one of them would sit at the right hand of Jesus.
It seems that Jesus has little time or appreciation for power-plays. He is not interested in those who want to puff themselves up, regardless of the reason or issue. It seems to me that the one person in the history of humankind who could have wielded unending, unthwarted, unbelievable power chose not to. Instead He lowered Himself, considered others better than Himself, and died for them.
Did He suffer an injustice? Yes. Did He suffer because someone else was wrong? Yes. Could He have stopped it and been right for doing so? Yes.
Be He didn't!
Jesus seemed to know what many of us either forget or never learned. Power is cold, callous, and conflictual if it doesn't originate in love. Not love for what we want, or a love for how we think it should be, not even a love for what we think is right, but love for what God loves--people.
Jesus knew that all authority on Heaven and Earth had been given to Him, but it is His restraint in unleashing it that is most impressive. I suppose Jesus knew that displays of power would lead us to worship power instead of God. Unfortunately, from all my years of church attendance, participation, and ministry, I know that Jesus was right. For most churches, it is power not Jesus to which most of us aspire.
Perhaps we should heed these words from C.S. Lewis, "The descent to hell is easy, and those who begin by worshipping power soon worship evil."
My prayer for myself and for the church is simple. The next time any of us has an opportunity to display our power let us first ask to be made empty.
Anyone who aspires to freedom or self-determination can easily surmise that power is the fast-lane, one-way highway for reaching that goal. Unfortunately, I see very little in the way of power-grabbing in the way Jesus lived. As a matter of fact, Jesus does not only not reach for power, He goes out of His way to relinquish it; to "empty himself," as the apostle Paul put it.
When Peter ask Jesus what the disciples will receive at the end of days, the Savior responds with blessings but then informs the disciples that many who are now first shall be last. "The first shall be last," is the same statement Jesus made when the disciples were arguing among themselves about which one of them would sit at the right hand of Jesus.
It seems that Jesus has little time or appreciation for power-plays. He is not interested in those who want to puff themselves up, regardless of the reason or issue. It seems to me that the one person in the history of humankind who could have wielded unending, unthwarted, unbelievable power chose not to. Instead He lowered Himself, considered others better than Himself, and died for them.
Did He suffer an injustice? Yes. Did He suffer because someone else was wrong? Yes. Could He have stopped it and been right for doing so? Yes.
Be He didn't!
Jesus seemed to know what many of us either forget or never learned. Power is cold, callous, and conflictual if it doesn't originate in love. Not love for what we want, or a love for how we think it should be, not even a love for what we think is right, but love for what God loves--people.
Jesus knew that all authority on Heaven and Earth had been given to Him, but it is His restraint in unleashing it that is most impressive. I suppose Jesus knew that displays of power would lead us to worship power instead of God. Unfortunately, from all my years of church attendance, participation, and ministry, I know that Jesus was right. For most churches, it is power not Jesus to which most of us aspire.
Perhaps we should heed these words from C.S. Lewis, "The descent to hell is easy, and those who begin by worshipping power soon worship evil."
My prayer for myself and for the church is simple. The next time any of us has an opportunity to display our power let us first ask to be made empty.
Monday, April 04, 2005
More On Evangelism
I've been doing a lot of writing lately. Unfortunately, I haven't been writing much here. Sorry! I thought I would give you some words today from one of my favorite contemporary Christian thinkers, Brian McLaren. The following is from his book, "The Church on the Other Side."
"For starters, somehow we Christians, especially evangelicals, convinced ourselves of the myth that America used to be a Christian nation--"our" nation--and some bad people took it away from us. Let me just ask: When was it a Christian nation? When we were killing, culturally imprisoning , and stealing the lands of millions of native peoples in a New World version of the holocaust? When we were importing and exploiting millions of slaves? I believe the Christian nation myth is untrue, but more than that, it is pernicious for what it does to us.
"The myth turns us into victims (Those bad guys took away our country!), aggressors (We're going to take it back, so watch out!,) and defenders (Quick! Circle the wagons!). As aggressive, defensive victims, we hardly carry the posture of Jesus Christ, who came to seek and to save the lost, who had compassion on the nameless crowds. As aggressive, defensive victims, we sound more and more like the Pharisees, who said, "This cursed mob doesn't know God's Word!" (see John 7:49), and less and less like Jesus who said, "These poor people are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (see Matthew 9:36). The cover story of the November 1995 issue of Moody Monthly described the problem too well: 'Sinners in the Hands of Angry Christians.'
"In the new church, this attitude toward non=Christians will change. 'The world' will be viewed less and less as the bad boys out there whom we fear, fight, and resist, whom we seek to control through legislation and intimidation with a self-righteous sense of superiority. Instead, 'the world' will be viewed more and more as the needy neighbors who haven't yet found the grace that has found us, who receive our love because God loved them enough to send his Son to give them 'eternal life' (John 3:16), who are doing the best they can with what they've got, and who can't be expected to do any better until we find ways to help them want what we've got."
"For starters, somehow we Christians, especially evangelicals, convinced ourselves of the myth that America used to be a Christian nation--"our" nation--and some bad people took it away from us. Let me just ask: When was it a Christian nation? When we were killing, culturally imprisoning , and stealing the lands of millions of native peoples in a New World version of the holocaust? When we were importing and exploiting millions of slaves? I believe the Christian nation myth is untrue, but more than that, it is pernicious for what it does to us.
"The myth turns us into victims (Those bad guys took away our country!), aggressors (We're going to take it back, so watch out!,) and defenders (Quick! Circle the wagons!). As aggressive, defensive victims, we hardly carry the posture of Jesus Christ, who came to seek and to save the lost, who had compassion on the nameless crowds. As aggressive, defensive victims, we sound more and more like the Pharisees, who said, "This cursed mob doesn't know God's Word!" (see John 7:49), and less and less like Jesus who said, "These poor people are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (see Matthew 9:36). The cover story of the November 1995 issue of Moody Monthly described the problem too well: 'Sinners in the Hands of Angry Christians.'
"In the new church, this attitude toward non=Christians will change. 'The world' will be viewed less and less as the bad boys out there whom we fear, fight, and resist, whom we seek to control through legislation and intimidation with a self-righteous sense of superiority. Instead, 'the world' will be viewed more and more as the needy neighbors who haven't yet found the grace that has found us, who receive our love because God loved them enough to send his Son to give them 'eternal life' (John 3:16), who are doing the best they can with what they've got, and who can't be expected to do any better until we find ways to help them want what we've got."
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Impossible Choice
Would you like to know the definition of an impossible choice? Here it is: Terri Schiavo!
I'm a husband and a father and I am deeply torn at every sight of Terri Sciavo. As a husband, I cannot imagine that my wife would want to suffer for over 15 years like this 41-year old woman. At the same time, as a father, I cannot fathom the difficulty of watching my daughter be starved and dehydrated to death. Who can make such decisions? Aren't these questions beyond our ability to weigh?
Terri's case is even more complex than most, because the information about her husband, Mike, is so conflicting.
There is suspicion that Mike had something to do with Terri's condition in the first place. Terri's parents claim domestic abuse was involved. Apparently, Mike went to great lengths to secure funds for Terri's care saying that he would be true to his marriage vows and care for her in their home. According to Terri's brother, as soon as Mike got the money he began his fight to have Terri's feeding tube removed. Terri's brother also claims that Mike has had several affairs, and been engaged at least once. What is undisputed is that Mike now lives with a common-law wife and has a family.
In addition, there has always been medical debate about whether Terri is truly in a Persistent Vegetative State (PVS). Some medical professionals say she is, others say she is not. What's more, a nurse that cared for Terri immediately after the incident said she showed signs of abuse and her system did not release the enzymes typical of someone who had had a heart-attack. And, perhaps worst for the family, Mike Sciavo has reportedly not allowed his wife to receive Holy Communion--a rite of her Catholic faith!
On the other hand, just a look at Terri is more than enough for most people to know that they would choose not to live that way. Plus, are the suspicions of the parents enough to paint Mike Sciavo with a Scott Peterson colored brush? Early care-takers who were close to the situation said that Mike Schiavo was with his wife everyday for years. She never had any bed sores, which means she was being well taken care of. In addition, Mike took Terri from Florida to California for experimental treatment. In fact, Mike was so adamant about his wife's care that many hospital personnel once believed that they would have to pursue legal action against him because of his persistent demands.
Who knows what is best in a case this complex? I don't.
Here's what I do know. As a husband, I would want my wife to enter peace and wholeness with our Father. I also know that if she could enjoy the life of our daughter--even just a little--she would want to live. I know I love my daughter, and I simply could not watch someone I didn't trust have her starved to death.
Through this whole debate I've learned some things that I would like to share with you.
1. Get a Living Will...(Save your family the heartache, pain, and expense of having to guess what you want).
2. Raise Your Children to Marry the Kind of People That You Can Trust...(Of course, this is ultimately their decision, but who your kids marry is tremendously important. They may have to make life and death decisions about your child or you!).
3. Live Life Now...(Terri Schiavo was 26 years-old when she entered a Persistent Vegetative State. 26! Do you think you can wait to live your adventure and explore your dreams).
4. This World is Not Our Home...
...In the last few days I've heard Christian people talk about this case from myriad perspectives. Some say let her live, others say let her go. The ultimate thing to remember is that this world is not where we are intended to be. I spoke with one of my church's elders this morning and he reminded me of something that our church's previous preaching minister once said at a funeral: "We are not in the land of the living heading for the land of the dying, we are in the land of the dying, heading to the land of the living."
I'm a husband and a father and I am deeply torn at every sight of Terri Sciavo. As a husband, I cannot imagine that my wife would want to suffer for over 15 years like this 41-year old woman. At the same time, as a father, I cannot fathom the difficulty of watching my daughter be starved and dehydrated to death. Who can make such decisions? Aren't these questions beyond our ability to weigh?
Terri's case is even more complex than most, because the information about her husband, Mike, is so conflicting.
There is suspicion that Mike had something to do with Terri's condition in the first place. Terri's parents claim domestic abuse was involved. Apparently, Mike went to great lengths to secure funds for Terri's care saying that he would be true to his marriage vows and care for her in their home. According to Terri's brother, as soon as Mike got the money he began his fight to have Terri's feeding tube removed. Terri's brother also claims that Mike has had several affairs, and been engaged at least once. What is undisputed is that Mike now lives with a common-law wife and has a family.
In addition, there has always been medical debate about whether Terri is truly in a Persistent Vegetative State (PVS). Some medical professionals say she is, others say she is not. What's more, a nurse that cared for Terri immediately after the incident said she showed signs of abuse and her system did not release the enzymes typical of someone who had had a heart-attack. And, perhaps worst for the family, Mike Sciavo has reportedly not allowed his wife to receive Holy Communion--a rite of her Catholic faith!
On the other hand, just a look at Terri is more than enough for most people to know that they would choose not to live that way. Plus, are the suspicions of the parents enough to paint Mike Sciavo with a Scott Peterson colored brush? Early care-takers who were close to the situation said that Mike Schiavo was with his wife everyday for years. She never had any bed sores, which means she was being well taken care of. In addition, Mike took Terri from Florida to California for experimental treatment. In fact, Mike was so adamant about his wife's care that many hospital personnel once believed that they would have to pursue legal action against him because of his persistent demands.
Who knows what is best in a case this complex? I don't.
Here's what I do know. As a husband, I would want my wife to enter peace and wholeness with our Father. I also know that if she could enjoy the life of our daughter--even just a little--she would want to live. I know I love my daughter, and I simply could not watch someone I didn't trust have her starved to death.
Through this whole debate I've learned some things that I would like to share with you.
1. Get a Living Will...(Save your family the heartache, pain, and expense of having to guess what you want).
2. Raise Your Children to Marry the Kind of People That You Can Trust...(Of course, this is ultimately their decision, but who your kids marry is tremendously important. They may have to make life and death decisions about your child or you!).
3. Live Life Now...(Terri Schiavo was 26 years-old when she entered a Persistent Vegetative State. 26! Do you think you can wait to live your adventure and explore your dreams).
4. This World is Not Our Home...
...In the last few days I've heard Christian people talk about this case from myriad perspectives. Some say let her live, others say let her go. The ultimate thing to remember is that this world is not where we are intended to be. I spoke with one of my church's elders this morning and he reminded me of something that our church's previous preaching minister once said at a funeral: "We are not in the land of the living heading for the land of the dying, we are in the land of the dying, heading to the land of the living."
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