The Roots of Christianity (03-31-16)

Christianity began with Jesus. We could argue that it began with Jesus’ mission on earth, or that it began at Pentecost when the Spirit came to the apostles, but the fact remains that Christians are followers of Christ. It started off as a small movement that grew exponentially. Roman emperors tried to wipe it out in several waves of persecution, but early in the fourth century, the emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and declared it the official religion of Rome. According to some, this was the end of the pure faith because the church became entwined with civil politics and concessions were made to pagan traditions. Regardless, this did stop the persecution of the Christians and allowed them a time of peace.

In the second century, Marcion proposed that the God of the Old Testament was not the same God that Jesus called Father. In fact, he proposed that the Old Testament be discarded and that only a few of the New Testament books be accepted as Scripture. This caused a large amount of debate and it pushed the church to decide upon a canon of Scripture or definition of what writings make up the Bible. The New Testament canon as we know it developed over a few hundred years of debate. By 400 A.D., the canon became what it is today. The Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. decided on a statement of basic Christian doctrine, such as Jesus being both divine and the Son of God.

The Bishop of Rome became the most influential Christian leader from that point onward. The Christian church gained power, but also corruption and traditions not in the Bible. The eastern churches and the western churches held different philosophies, and in 1054 AD Pope Leo IX excommunicated the patriarch of Constantinople, the leader of the Eastern church. The patriarch, in turn, spoke against Pope Leo IX, and the church was officially divided into the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox segments.

In the 1400’s, a growing number of radical thinkers saw the corruption in the church and wanted to do something to reform the church. They wanted to strip away all the traditions and customs like purgatory and the worship of saints, and return to the faith of the Bible. They also began to translate the Bible in the languages of the common people. Some of the more recognizable names are John Wycliffe, Jan Huss, John Calvin and Martin Luther, who put his 95 Theses on the door of a university church in 1517, sparking a wave of interest in Reformation.

If it weren’t for the Reformers organized religion, at least in Europe and North America, would look very different today. They gave birth to the Protestant church, organized religion based on liberty of conscience and the provision of many choices of different kinds of churches.

In the 1600s, Protestants and Catholics established churches in North America and new concepts of religious freedom emerged. The Protestant faith was continually changing as new revival preachers took their stands on new doctrines. John Wesley founded the Methodists. John Calvin established Presbyterianism and his follower, George Whitefield, arrived in the New World colonies with very successful revival sermons. There were Baptists, Lutherans, Quakers and Dutch Reformed. Since that time organized religion in North America has continued to compete, create new denominations and merge existing ones. It often behaves more like American business corporations than the first Christian communities described in the Book of Acts.

The Fear of Organized Religion (03-29-16)

Organized religion provokes a bad taste in the mouths of many people today. It is very common to hear people say these days, “I believe in God, I just don’t believe in organized religion.” Fifty years ago, that statement wouldn’t have made sense. People saw God and the church as indelibly interwoven. Today, however, people have seen too many abuses, fraudulent activity and hypocrisy in the church to trust the organization. A church touches the very softest parts of the human heart, and people refuse to trust their most sensitive feelings to an organization with the bad reputation it has developed. The fastest growing segment of religion in North America today is made up of people who believe in God but do not affiliate with any religion.

One of the main complaints society has with organized religion is the constant requests for money and the misuse of it. We are reminded of popular TV preachers who promise miracles for donations, claiming that God will see their hearts when they step out in faith with their checkbook, or more likely, their credit card. Faith healing events are held where the offering plates are passed many times during an emotional event. But the healing never seems to last and the handicapped and truly disabled are never allowed onto the platform to be “healed.” The preacher is a fraud whose main goal is to siphon money out of the pockets of believers. He lives a ridiculously affluent lifestyle with private jets, expensive clothing and jewelry, several mansions at his disposal, countless cars and high end hotel bills. Where does his money come from? From the pockets of the faithful, people who work two jobs, drive an old car and struggle to put clothing on their kids. Is it any surprise that the general public is skeptical of an organized faith?

How can we respond to this very valid fear? It is true that with any organization that money is needed to keep it afloat. There are people who dedicate their lives to the organization and depend on being paid to feed their families. There are faith-based charities, schools and similar ventures that must be funded. However, Ellen White writes of the church’s role in society, “It is the purpose of God to glorify Himself in His people before the world. He expects those who bear the name of Christ to represent Him in thought, word, and deed. Their thoughts are to be pure and their words noble and uplifting, drawing those around them nearer the Saviour. The religion of Christ is to be interwoven with all that they do and say. Their every business transaction is to be fragrant with the presence of God.” (White 1948, p. 21) Truly, many Christian organizations have failed.

Another fear that society has is that of the cult. In recent years many cults have developed and good, well-meaning people have been duped into association with them. We are reminded of David Koresh in Waco, Texas. (Frontline) He led the Branch Davidians who believed that he was of the house of David and would bring about the apocalypse. David Koresh took many women away from their husbands into his harem. Some in his harem were as young as twelve. He preached at the people constantly, but did not follow his own teachings. He controlled every moment of their days until many of them died in a shooting standoff with the authorities in 1993. There have been cults before and since, and people are afraid of little-known religious organizations, afraid of being controlled and manipulated into something evil and frightening.

While most religious organizations do not use the mind control techniques employed by cults, society is still afraid of being duped into becoming one of the victims. No one wants to be fooled and the characteristics of people who are susceptible to cults make people wary. For example: dependency, unassertiveness, gullibility, low tolerance for ambiguity, cultural disillusionment, naive idealism, desire for spiritual meaning, susceptibility to trance-like states and ignorance of the ways in which groups can manipulate individuals. Because the people are taken advantage of again and again, many people begin to see faith as naïve idealism or gullibility. A desire to find truth in the Bible is often associated with a low tolerance for ambiguity. Because organized religion is associated with the duped, the victimized, the gullible, etc., it is particularly unattractive to the more educated, intelligent people in society.

How can we respond to those who fear we are a cult? White warns, “Let God’s people act so that the world will see that Seventh-day Adventists are an intelligent, thinking people, whose faith is based on a surer foundation than the bedlam of confusion. The people are hungry for the bread of life. Do not offer them a stone.” (White, 1958, p. 24) Our faith is not based on emotion or tradition, but on careful Bible study and well-reasoned theology. Many religious organizations make the claim that only members of their group will be saved. From an outsider’s perspective, this is ridiculous. How can all of the organizations be right? How could a loving God exclude well-meaning, faithful Christians of a different stripe?

Our church has never claimed that. The truth of the matter is that people do not need to be baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church to be saved. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that. Salvation is based in a relationship with Christ not membership in a particular organization. When churches insinuate that their particular denomination is the only way to Heaven, a thinking, logical non-believer will be put off. In fact, many believers are put off by the same ideas!

There are many valid reasons why people avoid organized religion, and it is the mission of the church to show our society that we are different, that we don’t take advantage of people and we do not seek to control anyone. Our neighbors and friends have logical reasons for avoiding religion, and only if we can approach them with sensitivity, humility and a willingness to listen do we have any chance to overcome these attitudes.

Why Organized Religion? (03-28-16)

There is nothing that hurts a child more than being left out. There is no fear bigger for any child  than to be on a playground with no one to play with. One of the first concepts a child learns is that of “me too!” A need for belonging is something basic inside each one of us. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, a sense of belonging is one of a child’s fundamental needs, and it must be cultivated to ensure a balanced and healthy experience outside the family. (Canadian Mental Health Association)

Our modern society in North America is moving away from our family and community oriented roots. It used to be that you could sit on your front porch and chat with your neighbors. You knew who they were, where they worked, who their extended family was and even their schedule. They knew you, too, and you were a part of the neighborhood, which meant something. Your parents lived in the same town and your children saw their grandparents most days.

Now, knowing your neighbor is a rarity. Your neighbor moves away and you don’t say goodbye because you never said hello. Grandparents live clear across the continent from their  grandchildren. Our communication has moved from face-to-face over the fence to text messaging  across the city and Email around the globe. There is no reason to get to know the people right next to you because you have continuous access to those far from you. Children grow up these days with cell phones, text messaging and emailing. They live in a world where predators don’t have to find them in a schoolyard anymore; they find them on line when we think they are safe in their bedrooms.

So what community do we belong to today? There is the national community, the country to which we belong. We are American, Canadian, British or Ghanaian or Mexican, etc. There is the regional community, where we might identify ourselves as coming from the west coast, the prairies, the south, etc. There is the metropolitan community, where we might identify ourselves as from a particular city like Toronto or Cincinnati. We reside in a city neighborhood or a suburban town, each of which has a certain reputation or social standing or historic identity. But at the end of the day, we still don’t know our neighbors. The need to belong to a community still exists, however. It is a powerful human urge.

Ryan Messmore suggests that young adults are searching for a sense of community and place to belong and are turning to the government to fill that need, looking for programs and policies to create community instead of relying on natural association between neighbors and people who meet. (Messmore)

Children are searching to fill this need through online gaming and chat rooms where they can be a part of a social network. The dangers of these social networks are numerous, yet surprisingly a social networking survey revealed that 49 percent of children ages eight through 17 have an online profile. Compare that to the 22 percent of people age 16 and over who have online profiles, and you can see exactly where our society is headed.  (Waters) Yet the online community that draws so many youngsters sometimes doesn’t even introduce people using their real names, let alone the same physical room. There is still a distance.

Adults also look for communities to belong in. They increasingly identify themselves with the workplace instead of the home. When the majority of your day is spent at work, including overtime hours and weekend days spent at the office, is it any surprise that families are not as strong as they used to be? However, it is no longer financially feasible for many families to have one parent stay at home with the children. Two incomes are now the norm, and to keep up with an average standard of living, both parents work outside the home. Gone are the days when one income could cover the mortgage, the car and the raising of four or five children! So when the majority of an adult’s time is spent in workplace, it is natural for them to identify themselves primarily in their professional role instead of primarily as a member of a family or a community.

One of the most successful businesses in North America today is Starbucks, the coffee company with a sense of community. Starbucks makes its money by creating franchises that look like little community coffee shops. The employees are encouraged to know their customer’s favorite coffee. The décor encourages the patrons to sit and stay a while. Why would someone pay $5 for a coffee? Because Starbucks doesn’t only sell coffee, they sell a sense of community. Starbucks is making a mint because they figured out what people want most, somewhere to belong, not just a hot drink. (Starbucks)

So what is left of the good old days of community, porch swings and a neighborly chat over the fence? Are we left with Starbucks, the trademarked corporation? No, there is one last vestige of times gone by. We still have the church. The church used to be center of social life in North America. People attended every week, and even midweek! It was where they met their friends and where they came together to help the less fortunate in their community. A person could be born into a church, get married there, bring one’s children to be blessed and then be buried in the graveyard outside; their entire lives lived in one congregation. But haven’t churches changed, too?

It is true that times change whether we like it or not. Even churches change. But while the times have changed and the methods used in some churches have changed, the church remains an intentional community. Members make an effort to get to know each other, even if they probably would never meet outside the church doors. An organized church might not be a spontaneous community, but it does offer the ties of community, a place to bring together people across social boundaries, where they can share their joys and sorrows, and where you can always find someone to help you move.

An intentional community is somewhere people can belong. They contribute their time and their skills to the unit as a whole, and it is when they are needed that they feel they truly belong. As was pointed out by José Ortega y Gasset, “people do not live together merely to be together. They live together to do something together.” (Nisbet, p. 54) We all have the need to belong and to contribute. We all have the need to join in efforts to achieve common goals. The need for the church has not changed with the times. People have just forgotten that they need it!

God Values Inclusiveness (03-23-16)

It’s been suggested by some that we got our word “newspaper” because at the head of certain periodicals the following symbol was placed: N-E-W-S with the N above the E-W and the S below the E-W – indicating the four points of the compass, the four corners of the earth, north – south – east – west; news from around the world.

What a great symbol for churches to use to indicate the godly value of inclusiveness. In fact, that has always been a high value for God. For example, contrary to some opinions, the Old Testament God was regularly calling for radical inclusion among the people of God. Here’s one of those passages.

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Be just and fair to all. Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you and to display my righteousness among you. Blessed are all those who are careful to do this. Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest and keep themselves from doing wrong.

I Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say, “The Lord will never let me be part of his people.” And don’t let the eunuchs say, “I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.” For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bless those eunuchs who keep my Sabbath days holy and who choose to do what pleases me and commit their lives to me. I will give them—within the walls of my house—a memorial and a name far greater than sons and daughters could give. For the name I give them is an everlasting one. It will never disappear!

‘I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord, who serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who hold fast to my covenant. I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.

‘For the Sovereign Lord, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel.’” (Isaiah 56:1-9, New Living Translation) God sends a very pointed message to the Hebrew people of that day, people who considered themselves the “chosen” of God, a nation called by God to be a “light” to the world. They had become extremely exclusive and selfish, arrogant in their claims to be special to God. Rather than being a light for revealing the character of God, a channel of the divine way, they had turned inward, afraid of contamination from “outsiders” and proud of their understanding of truth. “We are the only Way,” they boasted.

As a result, they had set up a culture of “insiders” and “outsiders.” A purity religion based upon what you believed and how perfectly you lived in harmony with God’s commands. They stratified their religious community – a sacred hierarchy – with the spiritual professionals at the top and the “sinners” and “unclean” at the bottom. You were either welcome and included or not, based upon where you fit on the ladder.

Notice the two groups of people God singles out in this passage for radical inclusion: foreigners and eunuchs. Foreigners were considered “out” by virtue of birth. If you weren’t born a Jew, you couldn’t be included. And eunuchs were considered “out” by virtue of physical handicap (castration), either by their own choice or the choice of another. As a result, they were both impotent and unable to have offspring, both conditions considered by the Jews to be wrong and therefore worthy of judgment. Both groups were not accepted into the religious life of the community and looked upon as “outcasts.”

Notice what God says to both groups. In essence: “You belong! You’re In! I embrace you!” And what’s more, God promises each group special privileges that will enhance their sense of belonging: to the foreigners – “You have full and complete access to all the rights and responsibilities of my people – you can come straight into the Temple of God and worship like everyone else.” To the eunuchs – “Though you may be missing the ‘equipment’ to produce offspring and descendants to carry on your name, I will give you a legacy and a name that will live on forever.”

Imagine what this radical inclusion does to the sense of community? God takes those considered by the “church” as unworthy and undeserving and “grafts” them into the community. God gives them full status and dignity and honor regardless of genetics or geography or physiology. To God, everyone is welcome! “My House will be called a House of Prayer for all people.”

In fact, Jesus quoted that verse when he went to the Temple and chased out the money changers and religious leaders. He cleansed the Church because ordinary people were being excluded by the religious establishment. People were being marginalized and kept out because they didn’t measure up to the external standards of the established purity religion. And so Jesus, knowing the radically inclusive nature of his God, refused to let that continue. God’s House was a House of Prayer for all people.

So why is it that so often the one place on earth that should be inclusive is exclusive? Why is it that those who claim to follow God so often act contrary to God? Imagine what it could be like if people would actually emulate the real God – a God who values diversity, humility and inclusivity. Imagine if spiritual and religious communities established themselves around these godly values in how they think and how they behave; if they really believed that difference is not deviance, that variety is positive not negative, that the “body” needs more body parts, not less, that God doesn’t make copies, God makes originals and therefore all have equal value. Imagine what life could be

like then!

God Values Humility (03-18-16)

Two other values must be encouraged: humility and inclusivity. One of the attitudes that creates a distaste for religion and religious organizations like churches is the sense of arrogance that pervades them. The attitude that, “We are right and everyone else is wrong.” Or that,” We have the Truth and everyone else needs to embrace our Truth to be accepted in the end.” These attitudes are counterproductive to genuine community. The arrogance implicit in such an attitude puts being right ahead of being in relationship. It makes dogmatic knowledge the highest value; Truth as principle or proposition as opposed to a Person. So what I know becomes more important than who I know.

Imagine how different the religious and spiritual experience would be to embrace life with humility. To acknowledge that I don’t have all the answers, that I don’t have a corner on Truth, that I am incomplete without others, that my view of life and God will be more balanced and reflective of Totality when I expose myself to other people’s views and beliefs, that I am “here” not to simply get people to believe what I believe but also to learn from them, to allow their beliefs to help shape my own. Imagine living in a community where this value of humility was a cornerstone.

There’s a profound hymn that the early Christians sang regularly as one of their theme songs. Archeologists have uncovered copies of it in various places like homes and ancient gathering spots for worship spread throughout the ancient Middle East and Roman empire. It’s recorded in the New Testament:

“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the [heavenly location] of deity and showed the nature of deity – he [humbly] took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.” (Philippians 2:5-8, The Message, adapted)

The cornerstone of deity is humility – the willingness to give of one’s self for the sake of the other – the choice to recognize the supreme value of the other to the extent of becoming one with the other, of acknowledging the significance of what the other has to bring to the Table. The heart of Christianity’s view of God and Christ centers on this experience of profound humility, what’s called the Incarnation, Christ’s intentional choice to become one with humanity in order to not only give but also receive, to not only teach but also to learn what it was like to be fully human, to live in complete solidarity with people.

The early Christians sang this hymn regularly. No wonder congregations developed the reputation in their communities of being places of acceptance and great diversity – places where, unlike the culture of their time, Jews and Gentiles, free and slave, men and women, rich and poor gathered together and shared common meals, material possessions, and spiritual activities.

Arrogance is antithetical to God and therefore to the building and establishing of genuine community. God designed life to work best with an attitude of humility.  The great jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis said, “If you can’t have humility to be in balance with others, you won’t be as good a jazz musician as you might be.” (Sweet, p 384) That’s a great way to put it. Jazz as a musical structure and style is built upon the value of humility – the intentional allowing of others to contribute their expertise in an organic and dynamic blending of the whole. It involves a deep respect for each musician’s contribution to the piece by structuring into the delivery creative opportunities. The end result is high impact and deep pleasure.

God’s Life (03-17-16)

Beatrice Bruteau of Fordham University asks the postmodern question, “How big is your we?” In other words, in today’s culture and world, the basic paradigm is plural rather than singular. We are a global village first and foremost, made up of multitudes of individual tribes and nations. Imagine the rich diversity!

Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, an evangelical Christian organization dedicated to the eradication of global poverty, hunger and other pressing human needs, puts it this way: “Can we expand our vision of community beyond our own skin, family, race, tribe, culture, country and species? Spiritual life is more than what we believe, it also includes how we relate.” (Wallis, p. 86) That’s a very profound paradigm. Spirituality cannot be separated from our world view and our human relations experience. There must be a corresponding valuing of diversity in how we think, talk and behave toward others. That is, in fact, true spirituality.

One of the prolific authors in the Christian New Testament, Paul, expressed this continuity by using a fascinating metaphor to describe this value in religious community. Here’s the way he articulated it:

“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ … Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, ‘I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,’ that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, ‘I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,’ would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

“But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’ The head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’

“In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-22, New Living Translation)

So what is the author suggesting by using the metaphor of the human body to describe community? Several paradigms can be noted. First, diversity is a God-given reality. God placed the parts of the body where each one finds itself. Our individual value is a statement of being, not doing.

Second, every part has an important place. There is significance to each person. We all have a special role in life. And that role’s function is to contribute to the whole.

Third, we must honor each role as significant and valuable. Function doesn’t determine value; but it does contribute value to the whole.

Fourth, there must be intentionality to honoring others. To those body parts that are sometimes seen as less dignified (therefore they’re covered up and not publicly exposed or shamed) we give honor. What would that look like in community with people? It means that we seek out those who might be typically considered as the “unseen” or the “undeserving” and give them dignity – honor them, acknowledge their importance and value.

Fifth, our interdependence with others encourages us to live in solidarity with each other – when one suffers, we all suffer; when one is honored, we all are honored and celebrate that honor. We acknowledge that we are an inter-connected whole. As theoretical physics states, one action always produces a reaction. Our universe is intertwined and inter-related. So we need to live in harmony with that reality. What affects one affects all. And when we refuse to embrace that, the whole world suffers.

And finally, life the way God designed it works best when there’s harmony and unity in the midst of diversity. Our differences don’t negate wholeness, they enhance it. It’s not either/or but both/and. When we see ourselves as parts of the same human body, we can value our individual uniqueness as well as our similarities. We bring everything to the same table of life to enhance all of life. We become advocates for each other no matter who we are or where we live – different parts of the same “body.”

Native Americans of the Southwest don’t talk about “tolerating” one another. Toleration is not the issue. They talk about “honoring” each other. Here’s how they do it. They gather in talking circles, in which everyone contributes his or her perspective about situations and events. When they “honor someone,” they first hear them, affirm them, and understand them. Only then do they themselves expect to be heard, affirmed and understood. (Sweet, p. 383)

Imagine how that one simple community discipline would transform our inter-relationships – person to person, group to group, nation to nation. Imagine intentionally creating “talking circles” where people were actually listened to and affirmed for their values and views before being lectured to. Imagine conducting foreign policy this way. Imagine living in community where all people were not just tolerated but honored equally.

God’s Design (03-14-16)

But this reality shouldn’t surprise us too much. It’s not anything too radically new. After all, global life and even cosmic life from their very beginning were infused with rich diversity and variety. Whether you believe in the Big Bang Theory for the evolution of the universe or the Creation model, diversity and variety are inherent within the picture of origins.

In the Big Bang Cosmological Model, the massive explosion that begins the expansion of the universe is filled with interactions between high energy density, huge temperatures and pressures, and rapid expanding and cooling. All of this produces a diverse and unique array of elemental particles that continue to interact in violent collisions, ultimately creating a predominance of matter over antimatter. Those elemental particles, clear back at the presumable beginning of the universe, are stunningly diverse and yet mysteriously similar. There’s a curious homogeneity to the cosmos in the midst of opposite forces and reactions and vast diversity.

Among the most elemental particles (that were the very beginnings of life immediately following the Big Bang) are the “fermions” (comprised of 12 flavors of quarks, leptons, and neutrinos as well as 12 corresponding antiparticles) and the “bosons” (comprising gluons, photons, W and Z bosons, and mesons of which there are 146 types). This just scratches the surface of the amazing combinations of particles and forces that interact together in stunning combinations to ultimately produce matter and the later evidences of life.

The Creation Model suggests a stunning array of diversity and variety. The biblical account in Genesis 1 and elsewhere describes God bringing cosmic life into existence using a rich combination of elements. The earth is formless, empty, and dark. The Spirit of God is hovering over the surface. And God begins to create. First, light and darkness. Then, water on earth and in the heavens: The firmament and atmosphere that wraps the globe in a blanket of life-giving moisture. Then, dry ground that begins to sprout vegetation of every kind, seed-bearing, fruit-giving plants that continue recreating more of the same kind. Then, the sun, the moon, the stars. Then, water creatures of every kind, birds of every kind – both that produce more of themselves. Then, offspring-producing animals; “all sorts of livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And finally, human beings–male and female–with the capability of reproducing generations to come with their infinite varieties of temperament combinations, personalities, skin color, intelligence, emotions, desires, fears, creativity, motion and commotion, and staggering capabilities.

According to experts, there are about 400,000 plant species and somewhere from five to 50 million animal species. So however you view the origin of life, the conclusion is inescapable that diversity and variety are intrinsic to the very fabric and existence of the universe. So what are some of the implications of this reality, especially for those who call themselves religious and spiritual, who embrace a God who is either the Source of life or the divine Energy in all life? What does this reality of life mean?

The Reality of Diversity 03-11-16

A mother once described how her three children responded to a big spider’s web in the garden: The first child examined the web and expressed wonder at how the spider wove it. The second child worried about where the spider was hiding. The third child exclaimed, “Oh, look! A trampoline!”

The way we see and respond to life is so different. It’s almost as though diversity is hard-wired into human beings (though we have a big tendency to obscure and forget this reality).

Sony came out with a creative advertisement in 2005 for their new LCD television, the Bravia. They wanted to emphasize a very simple message: the color you see on these screens will be “like no other.” So the Danish director Nicolas Fuglsig, along with the creative team from Sony, shot a movie of 250,000 balls of every color bouncing down a steep street in San Francisco. The visual result was brilliant, stunning and dazzling!

The degree of dazzling brilliance is directly in proportion to the availability and maximization of the entire range of colors. So Sony wants the public to know that their advanced technology capitalizes on this reality and makes the viewing experience unprecedentedly appealing. “Color like no other.”

And they chose to shoot the ad in San Francisco, a city known for its rich diversity in numerous levels: from the unique blend of old world and contemporary architecture to the cultural melding and morphing pot of ethnicities and lifestyles. For example, typical of this reality is when Temple United Methodist Church befriended a Ukrainian refugee woman who works in San Francisco’s most traditional German restaurant, which is owned by an Arab who is married to a Chinese woman who runs a pizza restaurant managed by a Russian. All of these differences and more make San Francisco one of the top five most visited cities in the world. And it certainly reflects our global economy.

In a Big Mac hamburger sold overseas in one of the 100-plus countries where McDonald’s has a restaurant, the onions are from the U.S., the beef patties from Hungary, the lettuce from Ukraine, the bun from Russia, the pickles and special sauce from Germany, the sesame seeds from Mexico, and the cheese from Portugal. This is what one author describes as a “polyglobal world,” (Sweet, p. 369) the globalization of economic and cultural life, which means the subsequent loss of Western hegemony and a lessening of the leverage of the Western authority over the rest of the planet. We are fast recognizing the need to embrace our planetary diversity.

Sony’s marketing mantra for the Bravia TV–“color like no other”–is becoming the description of American culture where some 10 percent of the population (28.4 million people as of the 2000 census) was born in another country, the highest share since 1940, and some 13 percent speak another language at home besides English. The population of more than 50 of the 100 largest U.S. cities is made up predominantly of immigrants and ethnic minorities.

And old ethnic categories no longer work. Tiger Woods, the most famous golfer in the world, calls himself, not African-American, but “Cablinasian” (a combination of Caucasian, black, American Indian, and Asian). For the first time, the United States has a president of color: Barak Obama, whose father is Kenyan and whose mother is Kansan and who grew up in Indonesia (attending a Muslim school) and Hawaii. America is a truly colorful place and simply reflective of life on the entire planet.

Family Tensions: Steel against Steel (03-10-16)

God can be seen in the church through the family relationships. We all know that God is not all about answering prayers with a “yes” and raining down blessings on demand. God’s desire for us is to help us grow in character and in relationships. Our characters and our relationships are the only things that will go with us to Heaven, and those are parts of our lives that need constant development. However, growing is not always easy. It can be painful and frustrating. But God does not expect us to grow alone—that’s what he gave us families for! A church family is much like a biological family. The relationships can be just as complicated. But it is through these relationships that God helps us to develop as Christians and He shows Himself the most clearly.

 

Conflict is often thought of as a negative experience. In fact, most people avoid conflict if at all possible, however it is something that cannot be avoided when dealing with people, especially a group of mismatched people who do not come together based on personality, but on a collective acceptance of a group of doctrines. Christians are no exception to this. One of the things that people feel most strongly and personally about is religion. And while church members might agree on doctrine, they don’t necessarily agree on interpretations and individual “takes” on Scripture. But conflict does not necessarily have to be a negative thing. (Family Relationships Online)

Conflict, when dealt with in a positive way, builds stronger relationships. Firstly, each person is able to speak their mind and be heard. They don’t have to bottle up their feelings. Secondly, if they are listening to each other, they are able to see a different perspective from their own. Thirdly, a compromise can be reached where both parties feel they are gaining something. And fourthly, a new level of trust is developed when each person realizes that they can disagree and still be respected and loved.

This kind of communications does not require both parties to agree. In fact, it reminds me of David in his Psalms. David ranted. He raged. He begged God to demolish his enemies, and in one particularly fierce verse, says how “blessed” the person is to dash their babies against the rocks. (Psalm 137:9) David felt perfectly safe expressing his feelings to the Almighty God. He didn’t feel the necessity of saying the “proper” thing. He didn’t squelch his true emotions. He said it like he felt it and God loved him for his honesty. David’s blood lust for his enemies was not God’s. His anger and lack of mercy were not God’s. But regardless of David’s unresolved feelings, God called him a man after His own heart. Why? Because David turned to God with utter trust that God would understand him, provide him answers and guide him, regardless of his imperfect state. David knew that he could approach his God with complete honesty and still be respected and loved.

It is through conflict successfully dealt with that a Christian is able to grow and develop.  The Bible refers to this experience: “Iron sharpens iron. So one man sharpens another.” (Prov. 27:17) This steel on steel approach is not easy. Both members are solid and sparks will sometimes fly. But the end of the conflict leaves both members sharper than they were before. It is a principle adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous. (Alcoholics Anonymous Resources) This is a time when members come together and are completely honest with each other about their experience in overcoming the addiction to alcohol with openness and love. Each member is honor bound to be honest with the other members of the group for their own benefit and growth. It is an emotional experience, but it is a part of the healing process as alcoholics attempt to put their relationships and lives back together again.  It is the honesty that brings healing, both with oneself regarding one’s own actions and with others regarding their actions. It is a system of accountability.

However, not all relationships are filled with conflict in a church family. Some are nurturing the way a father or older brother would be nurturing, demonstrating for us the kind of relationship that our heavenly Father desires with us. Some are gentle and caring the way a mother is with her children, and we can see the kind of love Jesus spoke of when he said he wished he could draw His children together like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. (Luke 13:34) Some provide comradery like that of siblings. Some relationships provide the kind of fulfillment when a youngster looks up to you as an example. All these different relationships demonstrate a different aspect of God’s many-faceted character.

God created human beings to be social creatures. When He created Adam, Adam was not complete until God gave him Eve. Even Jesus gathered disciples to Himself, and when He was laboring in the garden, begging God to let this cup pass from Him, His only request of His disciples was that they “stay here and keep watch with Me.” (Matt 26:38) He wanted their company, their moral support, their prayers. These are the same things that we crave, as human beings, and God created us to need each other.

Relationships don’t always mimic the type of relationship God wants with us. Sometimes they force us to grow in our characters, and sometimes they help us to see things from a different perspective. We strengthen each other. We comfort each other. We annoy each other and we make amends with each other. As we join together, opening our hearts to our God, we realize that we don’t have to all be the same, hold the same opinions or have attracting personality types. We are united under God.

God’s priorities and expectations are summed up in His Law: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 13:30, 31) The church allows us to combine our love for God with our love for our neighbor. There is no spiritual experience more complete.

Is God Present in the Church? (03-09-16)

We’ve been talking about the church as a group of believers, but there is also the definition of a church as the building in which those believers meet. When entering a church people immediately lower their voices and talk more quietly. When lonely or terribly disheartened, even non-believers are likely to enter into a quiet church for comfort. Is it superstition in our society, or is there something special about a church?

When Hurricane Katrina hit the southern United States, it left devastation in its path. There are pictures of boats swept miles inland. Debris is everywhere, massive trees are toppled and for miles, nothing is left standing. Yet there are photos, in the midst of the total destruction, of one small church left standing. (Illinois Photo) It’s a miracle, and one has to wonder, is there something special about a church? How could it possibly have survived that kind of catastrophe when everything around it was razed?

When Moses built the tabernacle of God according to the instructions God had given him, something miraculous happened. “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” (Exodus 40:34) God’s presence was there, physically and visibly. However, this visible presence seems to be something of the Old Testament. Even in the New Testament, God’s presence was not visible in the temple.

Yet, we notice that Jesus was incensed at the disrespectful treatment of the temple, and he threw the moneychangers and sellers out of the temple, declaring, “It is written …’My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’” (Matt 21:13) The temple was still holy, and Jesus defended the physical temple against disrespect and degradation. Is there still something special about a church?

What makes a church special? First, it would be God’s choice. It was God’s choice to have a tabernacle built, and it was His choice to dwell in it and make it a place of meeting with His people. God chooses to make a church special. But Jesus clarified the special nature of the temple by adding, “For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them.” (Matt 18:20) It seems to be the coming together, the uniting of believers that God blesses. God allowed the magnificent temple in Jerusalem to be completely demolished more than once, but He always found a way to preserve His people.

If God does bless a church with his presence, then coming together to worship in a place where God has promised to be is a way to experience God more fully. But it is the coming together with other believers that God encourages, not simply coming to a building alone. God listens to the prayer of one person. He comes close to the lonely and the brokenhearted, but God never leaves us alone and solitary. “God sets the lonely in families,” and I suggest that includes church families. (Psalm 68:6) There seems to be a special blessing for those who come together to worship God.

Where is God’s Character in the Modern Church? (03-08-16)

The church is meant to be a light to the world. We are meant to be different. We are supposed to be an example of what living for God is all about. If this is the case, and God means to shine through the church, then how do we see God’s character in our modern church?

Jesus told his disciples that they were “the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:14-16) We are God’s light in the world and we are expected to purposefully let the light of God’s character shine. Like a city, our light cannot be hidden, but like a lamp, it is an intentional act. We don’t hide what God has given to us, and we are told exactly how to let our lights shine: through good deeds.

Mother Teresa was a nun with an extraordinary capacity to love. When God revealed to her the mission He wanted her to accomplish, she said that He asked her to “Come be My light.” Sister Mary Teresa did just that. She took off her nun’s habit, put on a white sari with blue trim, and went out into the slums of Calcutta, India. She nursed the poor and sick. She attended to the dying. She fed the hungry. She left the comfort and safety of her convent each day and devoted her life to the dirty, the destitute, the sick and the unwanted. Other religious sisters joined her in her work and ever expanding charities, and soon even non-believers joined in Mother Teresa’s cause. The world took notice! That kind of love can’t be ignored. She was given the Padmashri Award in 1962 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She is remembered for her goodness because she let God shine through her. (motherteresa.org)

What about us? We have a mission to find God’s children and show them His light, or His character. That is done through good deeds, but it is also done through education. Another aspect of God’s character is Truth. The truth is rock solid, and it stands up to both criticism and investigation. God doesn’t ask us to accept a wishy-washy set of doctrines, set aside our incredulity and stop thinking. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” (Eccl. 9:10) And that goes for investigating our beliefs as well. We are told to “call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding…look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure.” (Prov. 2:3-4) It isn’t fair to simply give the doctrines to the new believer and leave them alone with the weight of them. It is our responsibility to join them in the study, the search and the investigation. It is up to us, as a church, to educate God’s children and show them how His truth is fully supported in His word. Only when we can demonstrate how we personally have been fully convinced of the truth can we be convincing in the telling of it.

The last aspect of God’s character that we will look at is His righteousness. It is a large claim to say that the church exemplifies Christ’s righteousness, because the church is made up of sinful people who have all fallen short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23) However, the church strives to live by principles that bring us closer to God’s righteous way of living, through His grace. The church upholds the Ten Commandments and stands by His law. The world expects something different from the church. Christians are held up to a different standard than non-believers. Christians are not expected to lie, be mean, cheat, steal, or commit adultery. If a worldly person does these things, the world shrugs its collective shoulders. When a Christian does these things, fingers are immediately pointed. Hey, he’s not supposed to do that!

When a bank executive, a business man or politician has some moral fall, such as an affair, the nation responds with a kind of delighted disgust, eagerly reading every morsel of juicy detail. But when the faulty person is also a Christian, especially one who had some kind of power or influence—a church leader or televangelist, for instance—there is often a different quality to the horrified interest. Christians seem to be often held up to a different, higher standard than the rest of the world.

God calls for perfection, too. An example is Jesus’ command in Matthew 5:48, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” So often, Christians and others think this means keeping a list of rules without mistakes. Everyone knows no one can do that, so when Christians “fall,” the world laughs as much as it shakes its collective head.

However, if we want to know how God defines perfection, we simply need to look at the parallel passage in Luke 6, especially verses 35-36: “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” To God, perfection equals perfect love, perfect generosity, perfect mercy. If people find that in a church, they will come.

Does God Need a Church? (03-07-16)

It is a good question. We’ve thought about how we experience God and there are many ways for God to make Himself known to us. Why does God need a church? Perhaps a good way to address this question is to ask what does church do for God?

The first thing we think about when we think about church is the worship service. When someone asks, “Do you go to church?” they are thinking about a building with a worship service happening inside. The point of the service is worship; believers gathering together to worship their God. Worship is presented to God through music, prayer, thanksgiving and a religious talk that allows the believers to meditate on God’s Word. So in this way, the church provides God with worship.

Does God need worship? He has angels in Heaven worshipping Him all day long. Does He need our worship? Does He require adoration and constant reminders of His own goodness? It seems rather self-centered, when you think about it. Of course, God is God and can do anything He likes, but the argument that God needs our worship seems flimsy to me. Worship does something for us. It focuses us on a good God, reminds us that we are not alone, shows us the bigger picture of God’s system and reassures us that this sinful planet is not all that there is. “The Kingdom of God” that Jesus kept talking about in the gospels is the greater system that God created, the perfect, balanced, nourishing system that exists all around us and that will be reestablished on this earth when Jesus comes again. We are blinded to the Kingdom of God by sin. The act of worship reconnects us with God and His perfect ways.

The question remains, however, why does God need a church? Is it solely for our benefit that the church exists? Was the church made for man, not man for the church? Or does the church have a bigger role than that of comforting and educating its members?

Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He gave the Great Commission: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 16:15) God looks down on the world and He sees so many lost, fearful, searching individuals, people He lovingly formed in the womb, giving them personalities and strengths, futures and destinies. It was His will that each one be born, and it breaks His heart to think of any one of them being lost. So He commissioned His followers (the church), go find them and bring them home.

Jesus told the story of the prodigal son. (Luke 15) It has become a famous story throughout history, a proverbial catch phrase, and even unbelievers know the general plot twists. We all know about the younger brother who went wild, leaving home with his inheritance and going to squander it in the city. We also know about the “good son” who stayed home with his father, working the farm and doing what he thought was the will of his father. When the younger son comes to his senses and comes home seeking forgiveness, the “good” son is angry. He refuses to celebrate, and we mentally chastise him for being so very selfish. Of course, we can understand his outrage, but come now, there is such a thing as being gracious! And that is where we normally leave it.

However, I suggest that the “good” son had not actually done the will of his father. The father was heartbroken at the loss of his youngest boy. He loved that boy with all his heart and when he had to watch him walking away, ignorant and cocky, it weighed heavily upon the old man. He looked down the road every day, waiting for the boy to come home again. The “good” son knew this. He knew how difficult this was for his old father, and he also knew that the old man could not go out searching for the boy. Yet still, the “good” son stayed at home, stayed where it was safe, comfortable and proper. But if that “good” son had really loved his father, if he had been in touch with his father’s feelings and heartbreak, if he had truly known his father, he would have known that what would have made his father happiest was not to simply stay home and be “good,” but to go find his wayward younger brother and at least attempt to bring him back to his father. A family is not happy or whole unless all the members are accounted for. It is the same with God’s family.

We could still ask, does God need the church to go find the lost members of God’s family? When the people were praising God during Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the Pharisees told him to tell the people to quiet down. Jesus reply was, “I tell you … if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:40) If we don’t go to the world and tell them the good news, God’s hands are not tied. He could use rocks, if need be, to do the work! He could send angels to preach. He could write the message across the skies! So why does He need us? Why does He need the church?

The church, in Bible prophecy, is referred to as a woman, “the bride of Christ.” He is her husband, waiting to take her to the home He has prepared. From the modern, overly sexualized mindset, this is an awkward metaphor. But in its original context it does explain why the church is necessary to an omniscient, omnipresent, all powerful God.

When a man falls in love, all he can think about is his beloved! (See Song of Solomon.) He adores her. He wants to make her happy. He thinks about what he can do for her to make her smile. And when he marries her, he is so proud! She loves him, too, and the world knows it! They are united. They are one. They are facing life together. Now, does he need her? Does he need her to cook for him? He can cook for himself quite easily, and if he is challenged in that area there is always someone willing to cook for him, whether at a family member’s home or in a restaurant. Does he need her to financially support him? No, he’s been supporting himself all along, and if she wants to stay home with the new baby, he can support her, too. He doesn’t need her money. Does he need her to organize the finances, go grocery shopping, make the bed or do any other jobs around the house? Not particularly. All those could be taken care of without her. In fact, they were before he met her. So does he need her?

Yes, he does need her. He needs her because he loves her. He is physically capable of functioning without her, but he doesn’t want to! He needs her to talk to him, to love him, to hold his hand and to wait up for him. He needs her to join him in the goals they have for the future. He needs her companionship. He needs her. And if God is like that husband who is fully capable of doing all that He needs to without the church, then He is also like that husband in that He doesn’t want to function without the church. He wants our companionship. He wants us to join him in His priorities and plans for the future. He wants us.

What does the church do for God? The church loves Him! And like a wife who loves her husband, it isn’t enough to just enjoy the nice house and comfortable life her husband provides. In fact, the unhealthy “kept woman” mentality that many societies have gotten caught up in over the centuries may be one reason why we don’t understand this metaphor of God and the church. A loving relationship requires that both join in on the goals and plans for the family. She doesn’t just shop and ignore him, she stays up late with him, working out a budget that will help them to achieve what they have been striving for! He runs the errands she doesn’t have time for. Both contribute in every way they know how, financially or otherwise. God doesn’t demand that we love Him. But He craves a relationship with us. And that is where the mission of the church comes into play. His children are lonely, sick and lost, and He is heartbroken until they are brought home. If we love Him, why aren’t we searching for them with Him?

Does Church Help Me (03-03-16)

There is a context that must be in place before we can examine how we experience God in church. We must first look at how we as human beings experience God in our own individual, limited ways.

Prayer is the most basic and the most powerful way that we experience God. Prayer is our attempt to reach up to God. Grace is God’s hand reaching down to us. And somewhere in there, a connection is made and we experience God. Martin Buber was a Jewish philosopher and author. He wrote a book called I and Thou in which he examined the relationship between people and things, and then by extension, he looked at the relationship between humanity and the Divine. The Divine, he explained, was always out of our reach. We cannot explain the Divine.  We cannot fully know the Divine. We simply reach up, struggling, opening ourselves up, not understanding, yet yearning to connect. This, he said, was prayer. I have never found a more satisfying explanation of prayer anywhere.

To explain the experience of prayer is difficult. Each person feels the experience personally. It can be liberating. It can be frustrating. It can be lengthy or short. It can be angry, thankful, impertinent or peaceful. It can be pleading. It can be praising. It can be blaming. The process of opening oneself up to God is a very personal experience, and God, I believe, treasures our honesty. David was called a man after God’s own heart. He was not perfect, but his prayers found in the Psalms are the most honest you can find. In return, God reaches back to us. Sometimes we feel the connection, and other times we must accept it on faith.

Nature is another way we experience God. Ellen White writes, “To the little child, not yet capable of learning from the printed page or of being introduced to the routine of the schoolroom, nature presents an unfailing source of instruction and delight. The heart not yet hardened by contact with evil is quick to recognize the Presence that pervades all created things. The ear as yet undulled by the world’s clamor is attentive to the Voice that speaks through nature’s utterances.” (White, Child Guidance, p. 45) Nature is God’s creation, and through His creation, we can see the Creator. Looking up at majestic mountains, staring at the lip of a great glacier, listening to the pounding of ocean waves, watching the path of an ant or feeling the kiss of a gentle breeze, nature shows us the amazing intricacy and detail that went into even the smallest snowflake or insect. When we look at nature, we can see the good in the world, the last remnants of the perfect world God once created.

Music is another medium through which we can experience God. Music is one of the languages of Heaven. It was with music that the angels announced the birth of Jesus. (Luke 2:14) And Ellen White says of Heaven, “There will be music there, and song, such music and song as, save in the visions of God, no mortal ear has heard or mind conceived.” (White, Maranatha, p. 361) Music can lift us up to the sublime, and God can work through a humble composer to create music that will touch people in a miraculous way.

Handel’s Messiah is an example of such music. Handel was a human being like any of us. He was tired, old and frustrated. He was commissioned to compose the piece and he did his job. However, when he started to work on it, something amazing happened. It is said that he confessed to a friend that he had a religious vision of Heaven where he saw God himself while he wrote the piece. The Messiah is so moving that King George II, upon hearing the first performance in London, rose to his feet during the Hallelujah chorus and did not sit down until it was complete. The entire assembly rose to their feet as well, following the king’s example, and the tradition has remained to this day. (British Broadcasting Company, 2002) Anyone who has heard the Hallelujah Chorus sung feels the power of that music to bring your heart towards God.

Another way we can experience God is through other people. For example, a loving mother or father shows us what a loving God is like. When you experience parenthood for the first time, you feel a depth of love you had only heard about before. When you hold your newborn baby in your arms, and first see that tiny face, you realize that you would walk through fire for that child. You would lay down your life to protect that little one. Through our experiences with our own parents and the experience of parenthood, we learn about God’s love for us.

We can experience God through people we come in contact with in other ways as well. Sometimes, God’s love and kindness shines through from the most unexpected people. When strangers risk their lives to save someone in a burning building or who has fallen into a river, we are amazed at the nobleness of spirit. When a poor woman empties her purse and gives everything she has to help starving children in Africa, we a dumbfounded at her selflessness. But sometimes it isn’t the magnitude of the action that shows us God, it is something as small as a smile on a child’s face or a kind look from an old man. We are God’s creation, and when we are open to Him, He can move through us to show other people His love for them. God doesn’t need our hands or our faces to show kindness to his children. He could easily send angels, or come Himself. It is a privilege to be used by God to give such a personal message.

We experience God in a multitude of different ways. Perhaps the most impactful, is the way we see God through other people. People are what make up a church. And it is the church experience that we will be examining in the upcoming days.