The Right Hypocrisy Part 2

The simple answer (HA!) is that Christians understand (at least some do) that we are saved by grace not by how good we are.

1. We strive to be "good" in response to God loving us and thus we can live a better life and hurt fewer people. The Bible isn't shy about telling us about the consequences of breaking the standard of "thy shall not commit adultery". David's life was destroyed and he could only find solace in God's forgiveness Psalm 51.

2. Failure to live up to God's standards in some area plagues all Christians. The Bible says that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Judging by the anecdotal evidence--the behavior of myself and other Christians--that verse continues to be true even after we accept God's forgiveness in Christ. If we were good enough to live up to the standards, we wouldn't need the grace--the forgiveness afforded in the cross. I don't need God if I can do it on my own.

3. We as humans are complicated....our pride keeps us from truly surrendering to God, so I pick particular sins of others, the one I don't commit, and pound them so I can feel "right" before God. Jesus talked about "picking the splinter out of your brothers eye when you have a log in your own." Basically it works like this: if I can call attention to what others are doing, then I don't have to recognize or deal with my own sin.

4. Taking moral stands can have the underlying effect of making me feel morally superior and thus I can see myself as better than the "sinners" and feel I have the right to be at the front of the line with God. (the Elder brother syndrome in the story of the Prodigal God, Luke 15; and the story of the laborers in the vineyard Matthew 20; and the story of Pharisee adn Tax Collector Luke 18)

5. Also, many times the sin that we rail against is the sin that plagues us internally and we preach against it, condemn those who do it as a way to keep ourselves in line.

So yes I admit it, we are hypocrites! Politics and religion breed them... but not everytime! That's the hazard of taking a stand for moral values. But my failures don't change God's love as preached and lived so imperfectly by his people. My failures don't change the God who wants the best for us.

So I cannot claim the high moral ground, I can only tell others that I see it and will reach it some day in the Kingdom of God.

The Right Hypocrisy Part 1

Mark Sanford, the at the moment governor of SC, has proven that adultery--"the love bug" clouds judgment and discretion. At first, I reserved judgment on whether he should resign, but now I have no doubt he should resign. A "values" Republican busted by the lack thereof!

As a pastor, I have seen this time of irrationality before. I could give you a few illustrations of parishioners who crossed the line, but I could give you a long list of offenders from among the clergy in the Christian Church. An associate minister at my home church in Louisville lied to Bob Russell about his on-going affair and then ran off with the woman. Another minister had an affair with a woman on a Missions trip, promised he wouldn't do it again and did it again! Another minister resigned after unfaithfulness, but the Elders didn't want him to leave... Go figure. He was even caught in a closet with the church secretary once. The number of stories I could relate are incredible when you consider these are the guys and gals taking "stands" on moral issues.

But these champions of the moral right, Mark Sanford and those many pastors who shall remain nameless, match the behavior of some of the leading characters of the Bible. Only one example is needed here.....King David. Described in his early life as "a man after God's own heart", David caught the "love bug" and fell to depths that no one could imagined for God's chosen King.

One could conclude that these Bible characters, these 'right' politicians, these Christians are a bunch of hypocrites! It's clear that the "left" enjoys the Mark Sanford saga, especially after Bill Clinton (which the right exploited). The media points drips with sarcasm and ridicule at the obvious hypocrisy but has no explanation beyond making political points.

Though the question spills into politics, the answer begins at a place the left doesn't understand(some inside the faith don't even understand). How can Christians claim the high moral ground, push for values, while at the same time violating their own standards? That's Part 2...coming soon.

Abortion: Killing the Drs.

I shuttered when I heard that an abortion Dr. was shot and killed Sunday in his church.

One part of me wanted to treat his death the same way I would view stepping on a bug because I don't want it in my house. In my view, this late term abortion Dr. was a human being on the level of a drug dealer or mass murderer.

A second reaction was the "OH NO"---the media is going to have a field day on this and use it for "political" advantage. They are going to paint all pro-life Christians as terrorists. MSNBC did just that last night as the anchor cited what she made to sound like this long list of Abortion clinics workers and Drs who had been killed since the 90's. Though one is too many--the list is actually short compared to other behaviors that bring about death....smoking, drug wars, drunk drivers, Tim McVeighs etc. I believe the # is around 14 total. She went on to talk about all the Christian web sites that applauded the killers of abortion Drs. And I'm sure those sites exist. Her interviews, her rhetoric did all she could to treat this as a terrorist event. But what she conveniently LEFT OUT was that this action is not condoned by 99.9% of Christians.

My third reaction was this was not an action that Jesus would have taken. With all the evils and injustices of his day, he didn't pick up the sword or call down angels to take God's revenge.
Vigilantism is not God's plan. The Bible states..."'vengeance is mine I will repay', says the Lord. " The Bible says the State is to oversee the administration of justice and use of the sword to do so. The problem is that the state condones this evil and Christians have to reply on changing minds and hearts with the force of their argument, voting for pro-life candidates, supporting Crisis pregnancy centers that help, but not murder! When we murder abortion Drs, we lower ourselves to their level.

By taking this action of killing this low-life Dr., this murder eliminates the change of repentance and redemption of Dr. Tiller. (I find it ironic that he was killed in church.)

Some of you may not understand how this murderer could justify murder of an Dr. That's really should be reserved for another blog entry....

Muslin Demographic Video

Just got an e-mail from Wayne McGee who lives in London and has worked with Muslims for many years send me this link that responses to muslim demographic video.

Click here to read the response.

Birthday of Days Gone By

Today is my 56th birthday. It is also the 5th anniversary of one of the top 5 life changing events of my life. I lost my job...fired...from a church. My brother had just died and it added major insult to a traumatic personal injury.

My friend Jere says that "everyone should get fired at least once in life and preferably twice". Lots of lessons to be learned I suppose. I remember the embarrassment. I suffered the lost of my identity. For men so much of our identity is tied up with what we do for a living. I was lost. I no longer walked into the room as the "preacher", I was just Stan--car salesmen, Dillards employee...then financial planner for Seniors.

Some have called this event the day I gained my freedom--freedom in thinking, free weekends, freedom from expectations, free evenings...etc. But with freedom has come loss. Loss of an instant community. Loss of financial stability, having to create a new career! Loss of what was, by in large, a good life.

Regrets? A few, but I don't regret the friends I still have in Indiana.

Mistakes, certainly! I got to the point where I didn't like my job in Indiana for reasons that need not be stated here. My favorite movie at that time was "Office Space--Work Sucks". So I can honestly now say that I'm glad they "dun me in".

I cannot talk about the week following the "firing" without choking up because of all the unbelievable ways that God took care of us. Bill and Donna were there willing to sit with us; Garry and Jenny were unbelievable; Angie Dunn left a very kind message on the machine; gifts from the Mcfadzeans, the Blevins, and Ron and Malvery; and a Sunday afternoon visit from Gary,Susan, Bob and Carol and their unending support; a miraculous call from Dan Lawson; and Toby on the golf course tending to his parents on this day 5 years ago; and then Saturday came and a surprise call from friends from Greenville who were at a conference at Southeast--Jeff and Cindy and Danny and Suzy--you just can't imagine what it meant to us! You all make me want to be the kind of person who reached out to people in pain.

I'm sorry that my kids had to go through this. Haley suffered the most. Each of them suffered with me. Their view of the church has been jaded but they have to remember that Woodruff Road never treated us that way. Life sometimes is messy, even when we're nice people.

Forgiveness was a long process. I now can actually wish the leadership of that church well. I never thought I would be able to do that. After 5 years I hold no animosity toward anyone.

Thanks to my supportive family, wife and friends! Happy Birthday!

Islamic Threat?

Watch the You Tube video on Islamic population changes.... "what is the call to Action?" To have more babies? To stop immigration? To protect our culture by limiting religious liberty? To evangelize Muslims? Is this video just a scare tactic produced by someone clinging to their guns and religion?

I know that I don't want my grandchildren living under Islamic law. Please add your thoughts. The video is about 7 minutes long. I promise it will be at least thought-provoking.

Comments on The Reason for God By Tim Keller

From time to time I want to share some thoughts with you from this book. Chapter 7 is titled “You can’t take the Bible Literally”. Keller rightly says, “The Christian faith requires belief in the Bible.” For a host of reasons, people reject this book. The Jesus Seminar tells us that “no more than 20% of Jesus’ sayings and actions in the Bible can be historically validated.” Keller presents his thoughts on this, and other attacks. But what I found most interesting was the section “We can’t trust the Bible culturally.” People read the Bible and find parts of if offensive, objectionable, and outmoded or what our culture would call regressive teaching.

Keller offers three thoughts to people who are investigating, reading the Bible for the first time.

First, he urges them to consider the possibility that the passage that bothers them might not teach what it appears to be teaching. One example he gives of that is Paul’s statement “slaves obey your masters.” On the surface this teaching is outrageous and regressive, but Paul’s statement makes perfect sense in the culture of “slavery” that existed then.

Second, Keller offers that even after studying the issue that some would still find the text troubling thus he challenges us to consider that the problem may be an “unexamined belief in the superiority of their historical moment over all others.” If we have arrived at the ultimate historic moment in our Post-Modern culture--superior in our tolerance, then rejecting the Bible as regressive makes perfect sense. The question Keller poses is “how can we use our time’s standard of progressive as the plumb line by which we decide which parts of the bible are valid and which are not? To stay away from Christianity because part of the Bible is offensive to you and me assumes that if there is a God he wouldn’t have any views that would upset us. Since all of us are compromised by the changing norms of culture, I have to guard myself not to take and mold the Bible to current trends.

Keller offers another piece of advice for those who struggle with some teaching in the Bible. Distinguish between the major and minor teachings of the Bible. The Bible talks about the work and person of Jesus but also taking care of widows. The foundation is Jesus, the apostle’s creed. A lot of the secondary teachings don’t make sense until you take the step of faith in Jesus. If you don’t like what the Bible teaches about sex, does that mean that Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead?

I know this doesn’t answer all the questions people have about the Bible, but I was struck that we want to reject a lot of the Bible because we think we’re smarter, brighter, more progressive when maybe truth isn’t up for a vote.

Jesus and Napolean Hill

I am reading Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich. Hill says "fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire." Certainly setting goals is a part of business, but when does one step over the line given to us by Jesus in the Sermon. Napoleon Hill says "only those who become 'money conscious' ever accumulate great riches. 'Money consciousness' means that the mind has become so thoroughly saturated with the desire for money, that one can see one's self already in possession of it." See the dilemma ---positive thinking, yet the giving of oneself so completely to the idea of success that treasures on earth become the focus. Jesus said, "You cannot serve both God and money….Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." Hmmm (Matthew 6:24, 33)

Jesus tells us not to desire to store up for myself treasures on earth, but in heaven…Hmm…where my treasure is, there my heart will be also. (Matthew 19-21) In another place, Jesus said that it was easier for a camel to go through a small gate than for a rich man to go to heaven…. So I need to be positive…I need to set my goals…I need to work hard…but how does a businessman keep the balance. I believe it can be done in two ways.

FIRST, SET A LIFESTYLE CAP, or set a limit to the income you will take from your business to spend on yourself. Now most people have income limits that are imposted by salaries. The danger of those in the salary group is getting caught up in a consumptive lifestyle supported with credit cards, not realizing that they are storing up treasures on earth with their attitudes and buying habits. They like to point these words of Jesus at the guy who makes a million. The lifestyle cap can be applied whether you are salaried or commission. A lifestyle cap can keep my life in balance.

The second way to keep balance whether salaried or making hundreds of thousands is to "store up for yourself treasures in heaven." After your lifestyle cap has been reached or some limit established, take the amount above it and use it for good deeds. In I Timothy 6:18, 19, Paul commands the rich to "be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold the life that is truly life." Jesus told the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:21 "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me." See also Luke 16:9 for an interesting additional thought.

Choosing the extra vacation trip, the second vacation home, the new BMW, the extra nice restaurants are too easy to justify if we don't decide what the limits are before. I know me and I think most of you are like me….greed and pride cloud judgment and that is why "the rich" have to get on their knees to go through the gate.