Church Voices

I’m working my way through Jeremiah (referred to around my house as the emo prophet) and came across chapter 33. In this chapter God relates how he’s going to lay the smack down on Israel. Check this out:

For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword 5 in the fight with the Babylonians [a] : ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the men I will slay in my anger and wrath. I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness.

Ouch. But don’t worry it all works out in the end:

” ‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. 7 I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. 8 I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. 9 Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’

But the key to this passage is found a bit later on:

14 ” ‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

15 ” ‘In those days and at that time
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.

This is messianic prophecy. The messiah is how God’s promises will be fulfilled. Unfortunately, all too often, we can get caught up in the details and forget that this entire thing we call Christianity is focused on Christ. Arguments about the reformation, baptism, free will, or any other issue need to always keep in mind that center is Christ. If our theology becomes anything other than either an expression of Christ, or looking to Christ then its as empty as Jeremiah 33 without the restoration.

I know this is being posted late in the day, but enjoy.

Many Christians are turned off by apologetics, philosophy, and things of that sort because “evidence leaves no room for faith.” For example, in his popular commentary of 2 Corinthians, N. T. Wright says

“People tell us we’re stupid to go on believing [things by faith]: where is the evidence, they ask? But if everything was obvious, or at least could be proved in some way, where would faith be? We must beware of any suggestion that the Christian faith gives us the kind of ‘certainty’ that people often crave. If I have that kind of certainty, I no longer need to trust God.” (Paul for Everyone: 2 Corinthians [WJK, 2004], p. 57)

What is especially odd about this is the apologetic value characteristic of Wright’s work. For example, at the end of his massive defense of the historical reliability of the resurrection narratives, Wright himself states that the empty tomb and appearances have an historical probability which is so high as to be “virtually certain,” like the death of Augustus in A.D. 14 or the fall of the Jerusalem in A.D. 70. (The Resurrection of the Son of God [Fortress Press, 2003], p. 710)

Then there are those Christians who, enthusiastic about what apologetics and philosophy can show, smugly assert “I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist”, or that “even atheists accept things on faith.” I want to suggest both attitudes misrepresent what Biblical faith is.

Faith, in the Biblical sense, is actively placing your trust in what you have reason to believe is true. But don’t stop there. This act is essentially a response to the Holy Spirit, which in turn confers an attitude of confidence, assurance, and, I would say, certainty of what John Edward’s called “the great things of the Gospel.” The problem with both positions above is that they exclude the Spirit’s role in faith by assuming it is only a matter of evidence. Hence, Peter’s exhortation to all those who bore witness to the Spirit’s presence at Pentecost (Acts 2.36):

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified”

I’m a big fan of the Office, but I noticed something… interesting. That something was that the only character on the show who self-identifies as a Christian is Angela. And she has a very specific character who has very specific traits and ways of communicating and relating. While this character is over the top because the office is an absurdist comedy, this character is also believable enough that the viewers and the producer find her to be a fine stand-in for evangelicals. Recently I put together an episode of the Justice and Mercy podcast that based on her character and thought I’d go ahead and post it here.

Download it here or listen to it below.

I don’t talk politics at church.  But this isn’t church.

I’ll tell you now that I  won’t be voting for Clinton or Obama this election (for various reasons).  There is much I could say that I don’t like about their political decions in the past, and their views on the role of government in our country.  But I don’t really need to do that.  What I do need to do is to be challenged to treat others with respect and to love my enemies.  So I would like to share with you one thing that I appreciate about Clinton and Obama.   (There are probably more, and please feel free to share your own positive observations.  No criticizing or I’ll have to bring the smack down on you.  There are plenty of other places and times to do that.)

I appreciate both of these candidates being willing to discuss issues of faith at an event specifically for that.  They were asked questions of varying kinds by different people, including ministers.  The questions weren’t all fluff either.  Were some of their answers evasions and redirects.  Yes.  But they aren’t Bible scholars, they are politicians and trained in that.  And quite frankly, there are many things about God, faith, and Christianity that I find mysterious and don’t have a tremendous grasp on yet.  And when somebody asks me about them, I give the best answer I can but it might not really be a satisfying answer.

One thing that did come through when Clinton and Obama answered their questions was a desire to live out their faith by helping other people.  In Christian circles, we call this “loving your neighbor as yourself.”  Sounds familiar, where have I seen that before?  It is possible that both politicians are saying what will get them the vote.  But I hope they are genuine and that I’m gracious enough to give them room to fail at it.  Especially when I as a minister, preacher, and christian fail at loving my neighbors quite a lot.

For all of the failings of the Democratic party, there appears to be a genuine desire among Democrats to love their neighbors.  Maybe as Christians (not Republicans or Democrats) we can show our communities what that looks like.  Maybe we can even love them as Christ has loved us.