tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34299497545093197222024-02-20T13:51:05.251-08:00Smudges on the WindowA Journey to God: One Christian's struggle to find a relevant spiritualityRudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-998240270472844812015-03-30T19:53:00.000-07:002015-03-30T19:53:18.015-07:00Killing GodIt's coming to be Easter. A time when people's thoughts turn to daffodils, bunnies, chocolate and ...<br />
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"Why, exactly, did God kill Jesus?"<br />
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The other day I reluctantly entered a discussion on Facebook initiated by neXus church in BC. The whole thing surrounded conservative vs liberal theology; the role of other religions; universalism; and the point of Jesus' dying. I had been thinking of writing a blog on this topic anyway, so I jumped right in. Below is essentially my first post in that discussion, but fleshed out a bit for this blog.<br />
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It is only in the past couple of months that I have come to understand that Grace is EVERYTHING. Barth has said that the gospel - the "Good News" - <em><strong>is</strong></em> Grace. And by Grace I don't mean the narrow view that most evangelicals have of that word that restricts its meaning to something concerning atonement. When I say Grace I mean; love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and acceptance - true Grace. I have come to realise there's nothing that can separate us from the Grace of God. NOTHING. We don't have to accept it, or reject it. To place any kind of condition on the Grace of God is to diminish it. <br />
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The only thing we have to do is to accept the fact that it's free. <br />
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If you start to think about the unconditional, unrelenting, all consuming Grace of God, a lot more things start to make sense in the bible. Grace is the reason God chose a pig headed people like the Israelites. Grace is the reason God called an adulterer like David a man after his own heart. Grace is the reason God chose an inconsistent person like Peter to be the rock of the Church. Grace is the reason Jesus ended up with a disciple like Judas.<br />
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God's Grace is beyond us. It's beyond our actions or our decisions. It's beyond anything we can say or do, or anything we don't say, or don't do. It has nothing to do with us.<br />
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Barth also said that the only difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is that the Christian knows he is saved. On the surface this may seem very superficial and universal, but if you think about it, it's more profound than it initially appears. The person who knows he is saved will (should) go out and start to act like it, which is what Jesus talked about all through his ministry on earth - the Kingdom of God. We need Christians to start acting like Christians right here and now. Not to act like they've got their ticket to heaven, and they're just waiting to get on the bus.<br />
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God's Grace is holding the door of the bus open for everyone - with, or without, a ticket. <br />
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Although there is value in other religions, we still need Christianity. Christians, the ones who know they are saved, who have an experiential knowledge of God's Grace, are supposed to be the ones showing people how to live in the radical, kingdom, Grace filled way portrayed by Jesus. <br />
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Why then, if it's just about living a good life now, did Jesus have to die you ask. Good question. I've wondered this for a lot of years and I suspect that there are several different layers of meaning to it. But part of it, I've just come to realise, is to show that the Grace of God is so sufficient, so pervasive, that you can even kill God and he will still extend his Grace to us in resurrection. And that my friends, should spur us on to extending that same Grace to everyone we encounter.<br />
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The Kingdom of God realised. <br />
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And by the way, when Jesus told the thief on the cross that today he would be with him in paradise, he didn't turn to the other thief and say; "and you won't".<br />
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<br />Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-72092211864640846632015-01-10T14:36:00.000-08:002015-01-10T14:37:20.875-08:00Swearing at JesusWhen I was about 12 I had a tobogganing accident right before Christmas. It left me on crutches for the entire 2 week break with torn ligaments in both my knees. My Mom and I would usually spend Saturday afternoons together. Typically she would bake bread, and I would play. When the buns started coming out of the oven I would try to scoop out the middle of a bun, while it was still warm, and eat the soft gooey mass with lots of butter. While this was going on we would normally listen to the radio - to a show called Unshackled. They were usually stories about how down-and-out people finally reached the bottom, and, through some miracle or other, would suddenly make a decision for Christ.<br />
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The Saturday I was on crutches was no exception.<br />
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My Mom was baking bread and I was playing on the floor with my Lego while we listened. I don't remember the story that day, but I do remember thinking that maybe I needed to make that decision for Christ myself. Perhaps it was the accident that got me thinking that my life was finite and I should do this before it was too late; I don't know. But, I do remember thinking that I didn't want to go to hell, so I said the prayer (to myself), that ended each show, and asked Christ into my heart.<br />
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There's an old evangelistic tool where, if you are trying to convert someone to Christianity, you ask them; "If you were to die tonight and God were to ask you why he should let you into heaven, what would you answer?" The proper answer is something to the affect that Christ died for your sins and that you had accepted him into your heart.<br />
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Case closed.<br />
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These days, this is how I see that whole scenario playing out.<br />
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There's a line of us waiting our turn to talk to Jesus. Eventually it's my turn, so I walk up to Jesus as he stands behind a small table with a large book on it. "That must be the Book of Life with all the peoples names in it that are allowed in" I think to myself.<br />
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"Name please"<br />
"Rudy"<br />
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Jesus runs his finger down the page. Leafs back and forth a few times. "Hmmm...."<br />
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"That can't be good" I think to myself<br />
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Then Jesus looks up and says; "So,.. Rudy,.. why should I let you into heaven?"<br />
"Well, when I was 12 I asked you into my heart." I say confidently.<br />
"Sorry, not good enough"<br />
"What the hell?" "Why not?" I ask in dismay.<br />
"It's not about you" Jesus replies.<br />
"What the fuck?" "Sorry,.. I didn't mean to swear"<br />
"It's OK" Jesus says. "It's not like I haven't heard it before. Besides, it's about what's in your heart that matters, not necessarily what comes out of your mouth."<br />
"Hmmm ... Oh,,, I know." I say hopefully. "You died on cross for my sins."<br />
"I died on the cross for everyone's sins. Sin isn't the issue."<br />
"Crap"<br />
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I stand there looking at my feet, suddenly realizing they're bare, trying to figure out what I'm missing.<br />
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"Look, why don't you go over there and sit on a bench for awhile and try to figure it out while I process some of these other people" Jesus suggests.<br />
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I look to the left and there are a bunch of benches, with several people already sitting on them. I find an empty space and sit down. I look up and down the benches at the people sitting there. Some have obviously been there awhile. Every now and then I think I recognize someone. "Is that Pastor Bob? What's he doing on the bench?" I wonder.<br />
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Then I notice that I can see past Jesus, through the pearly gates, into Heaven - there are lots of people there. I see them sitting and talking to bright orbs of light. I see them talking to each other. I see them playing. They seem really happy - but more than that. Eventually, I start to recognize more and more people, but there's something peculiar, these people weren't what I would have called Christian when they were alive. "How'd they get in there, and I can't?" I ask myself.<br />
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I start to get a strange sensation. I can not only SEE they are happy, but I can FEEL that they are. As I tune-in to this new ability, I realize they aren't feeling happy at all - they're feeling unconditionally LOVED.<br />
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Suddenly a voice interrupts my thoughts - it's Jesus;"Rudy, come back up here please."<br />
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I get up off the bench, and slowly make my way up to the table again.<br />
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"So ... I believe we have more to talk about?" Jesus says quizzically.<br />
"Yes. I think so." I reply.<br />
"Well let's start from the top again, shall we?"<br />
"Sure,"<br />
"Why should I let you into heaven?"<br />
"Because thou, O God, art LOVE" I reply humbly.<br />
"That's better. Welcome" Jesus says, and stands to the side to let me in.<br />
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As I move slowly past the table, I glance down at the book, and, somehow, I know that everyone's name is in there.<br />
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<br />Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-46413697784678978342014-12-22T15:17:00.001-08:002014-12-22T15:17:59.595-08:00God Gets What God Wants"Our son has been putting us through hell," she said. "Didn't even know where he was for months until last night. My husband and I were eating dinner, and suddenly, without warning, he bursts through the front door and begins cursing us, demanding money, refusing to join us at the table. After an ugly scene, he stormed down the hall and slammed the door to his room. "<br />
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"Well my husband gets up, goes over to the kitchen, pours himself a drink, turns on the TV, and slumps down in his chair. That's how he handles these moments. I walked down the hall and said, 'Son, can we talk.' I could hear him curse me inside his bedroom. I tried to open the door. It was locked."<br />
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"So I went into the garage, got a big hammer. Walked back in, stood before my son's bedroom door, drew back, and with only one blow was able to knock the doorknob clean off the door. Took about a third of the door with it. Then I lunged at my surprised son, grabbed him by the throat, and said, 'I'm not going to put with this shit anymore. You are better than this! I gave birth to you, went through labour for you, and I'm not giving you away!'"<br />
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"I really think something important happened for us last night. I think he heard me. We're on a new track." She said.<br />
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That excerpt is from William Willimon's book, and I believe God is something like that.<br />
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Jesus' death and resurrection has confounded me for many years now. I don't necessarily believe the way it works is the way most evangelicals believe it to be, but I've been struggling to figure it out. The best I can do is to think that it has meaning on several different levels, and maybe this is one of them;<br />
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Maybe one of the points is to show that we all reject God to some degree, but even if you reject him to the point of taking his physical Son, and kill him physically, God still gets what he wants in the end. God's salvation and grace is for everyone. It is an accomplished fact. And no matter if you know it or not, God's love will win in the end.<br />
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It's just a matter of time.<br />
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<br />Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-2230106837322980742014-12-21T12:47:00.000-08:002014-12-21T12:47:38.045-08:00Metaphorical ViolenceLike most people I have a problem with the violence of the Old Testament. How does a God who is loving condone, if not outright sanction, violence.<br />
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I was just reading from Brian McLaren's latest book, We make the Road by Walking, which is a daily devotional book. The section I was just reading has McLaren trying to justify a more metaphorical reading of the Bible, specifically the Old Testament. I'm OK with reading the creation story metaphorically, but I haven't expanded this view to other stories, although I have heard lots of people try. Most of the people who try, eventually get to the point where the death and resurrection of Christ is also metaphorical, and at this point, I still have a problem with that.<br />
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But McLaren got me thinking. He makes the argument that all these stories are derived from an oral tradition with stories being handed down from generation to generation, each modifying it. He was trying to say that as the stories progressed, we learn a bit more about our God; that they are not literal stories, but stories that are there to teach us about God. After all, the story of creation wasn't written anywhere near when it was supposed to have happened. Job is the oldest book of the Bible, not Genesis. Genesis was written somewhere around 500BC.<br />
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I must admit that if you view these stories as metaphorical (Old Testament) it makes much more sense. The creation story shows us how arrogance can separate us from God, how we are not living the way God designed things to be, and we are paying the price for that arrogance. The Flood story shows us that God abhors evil and eventually it will all be wiped out, that God loves those who do righteousness. Even those stories where God commands the Israelites to go in and destroy people, even to the extent of smashing babies heads, shows how we should make every effort to rid ourselves, and the world, of evil and injustice, in all its forms.<br />
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My only problem is, where do you draw the line between literal and metaphorical?<br />
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<br />Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-14358868630281044912014-12-19T11:02:00.001-08:002014-12-19T13:28:26.555-08:00The Lust of GodAs you know there is a small group of us that meet on a semi-regular basis to discuss books and videos that challenge the traditional perspective of Christianity. As related in the previous blog post, we are discussing world religions and how Christianity should be relating to a multi-faith world. Whenever this topic is discussed, the exclusivity of Christ is brought up by whoever is new to the group, and this time around it was no exception. This led me to, once again, go in search of articles that could articulate a more generous point of view, better than I could, and, hopefully by someone with more credibility than myself.<br />
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As I mentioned previously, this led me to the book by Howard Storm, and the quotes from that book. Another aspect of that book, and the conversations he had with Jesus and the angels (if you take him seriously) was how much God loves us. Yes, I know, we all talk about how God loves us. We even say God <i>IS</i> love. But, if he is correct, we don't really understand what that means. Storm describes a wild, reckless, all consuming love that God has for <i>all</i> people. And, you can't really understand the statements that I quoted previously, concerning differing religions, if you don't understand how much God loves all mankind. I also think that's why so many evangelical Christians have so much trouble accepting other religions;<br />
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They don't really understand the love of God. They can't fathom a God who loves a Muslim or a Buddhist just the way they are.<br />
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The reason I ended up at that blog site in the first place, was because the author was commenting on a book by William Willimon; Who Will be Saved. I found some of the statements quoted to be extremely interesting as they seemed to be coming from a more traditional Christian, but with a more generous attitude. It turns out that Mr. Willimon is actually Bishop Willimon. I am only part way through the book, but the last section I read was titled "The Eros of God". We all know the different kinds of love in the bible; Philia, Agape and Eros are the three main ones, with Agape probably the best known. I must admit that when I flipped the page and saw the title, my first thought was;<br />
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"Seriously ... God ... Eros??"<br />
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If you don't know, Eros is sexual love. But then the good Bishop goes on to point out passages like Solomon 3:1-4, and all those passages about the church being the bride of Christ, and many others. He points out passages showing how God desperately desires an intimate relationship with us and seems willing to do almost anything to get it, like two adolescents in lust; very much in keeping with the story that Howard Storm tells.<br />
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Towards the end of the section he moves more into the topic of grace and how salvation is a "free gift". In quoting Paul in Romans 5:15,17 he notes that receiving salvation is a very passive act. Paul uses the passive word "receive" and not the active "decide" or even "choose". Our evangelical friends are fond of saying that Grace is free, but you have to accept it. But this isn't what Paul seems to be saying. Paul seems to be saying that you just receive it, the way the ground receives the rain.<br />
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"The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike."<br />
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And if this is the case, then salvation has come to <i>ALL </i>men.<br />
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I was happy to read that someone with a more traditional background had such generous views. I sometimes fear that I have become too generous in my orthodoxy: that I have given up too much of my Christian heritage in the search for truth (I'm pretty sure if I wasn't a Christian, I would be a Buddhist). This gives me renewed faith in my tradition. It makes me happy to know that I can be true to my tradition, while still accepting those of other faiths, and validating all that is good in them.<br />
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But ... I just have one concern, and it's a big one.<br />
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Does this mean I have to start singing all those Jesus-is-my-boyfriend songs again, after making fun of them for the past several years?<br />
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<br />Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-13734909709270657412014-12-15T19:21:00.002-08:002014-12-15T19:21:56.688-08:00My Religion's Better Than YoursDuring the last meeting, of the small group of confused travelers that meets in my house, we had a conversation concerning Christ’s apparent claim to exclusivity in John 14:6, “I am the way the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me” and how that pertains to other religions. Wanting a bit more clarification, I did some research the other day on the inter-web, which led me to a certain blog post that I found quite interesting. On the website were some books recommended by the author. Given that I thought the author made a lot of sense, I thought the books probably had a fair bit of credibility, even though I had never heard of the books or their authors. One in particular caught my attention; a book describing a near-death experience by a former atheist/agnostic Howard Storm called, “My Descent into Death: A Second Chance at Life".<br />
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Since my early teens, when I learned that such things existed, I have been fascinated by peoples stories of their near-death experiences, so I downloaded the book. So far, this one is the most detailed I have come across, and, as it turns out, he answers the question of Christ’s claim, and the role of other religions. In the book he describes asking Jesus and the angels a series of questions and the answers he was given.</div>
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So, here’s the answer straight from the horse’s mouth;</div>
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Q: Which is the best religion?</div>
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A: I was expecting them to answer with something like Methodist or Presbyterian or Catholic, or some other denomination. They answered, “The religion that brings you closest to God”.</div>
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Q: But which religion is that?</div>
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A: There are good people in bad religions and there are bad people in good religions. It is not so important which religion, but what individuals do with the religion they have been given. Religions are a vehicle that takes you to a destination. The purpose of religion is to help you have a personal relationship with God. God wants us to love him with all our being and to know the truth of God. If we find God in an intimate, loving relationship, then we are going the right way.Too often people find religion to be self-serving, interested in perpetuating itself and controlling peoples lives in order to be dominant. Religion is only a means to find God. Religion is not the destination. True religion is the love of God in every word, thought, and deed of the person. God loves all people and is pleased by religions that seek him in spirit and in truth.</div>
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<span class="ecxApple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>God abhors the misuse of religion that creates divisiveness between people, that justifies violence, that promotes pride in self-righteousness. God is far greater than any religion. The spirit of Christ speaks to all people in all time to draw them to God.</div>
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Interestingly, in other parts of the book, the author affirms Christ’s statement in John 14:6, but not in a way you would expect. The only thing I will say about that, is that according to what he was told, our spiritual journey is not over when we die.</div>
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The author is now a pastor and says that everything he reads in the bible, especially the new testament, confirms what he was told during his near-death experience.</div>
Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-83950651178029306362014-07-13T15:41:00.001-07:002014-07-13T15:41:26.617-07:00The Third WayWhat do you call a Jew who also follows the teachings of Buddha? .... A Jewbu ... and no, this isn't a joke. Apparently this mix and match of religions has been going on for some time now; however, most recently people have been putting little names to it, such as Jewbu. These days the most common ones to combine seem to be Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism, but I'm sure there are others. The possibilities are endless.<br />
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What about Atheist and Christian?<br />
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A couple of years ago I ordered a video series called Living the Questions for our small group to go through. I ordered it from an organization called the Canadian Centre for Progressive Christianity. If you're a former fundamentalist, such as myself, this is an excellent series to go through as it forces you to think of possibilities you never considered before. Since I ordered it from this organization, they were nice enough to place me on the mailing list for their journal called Progressions which comes out 3 or 4 times a year.<br />
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Initially I read the journals from cover to cover, but the more I read the more confused I became; I couldn't figure out where they were coming from. They would write on topics of Christianity, liberally quoting from the bible, and yet at the same time they seemed to deny any form of deity, all the while calling themselves Christians. This behavior seemed to afflict all the contributing writers, but especially the founder Gretta Vosper. Eventually I started reading less and less. I always had good intentions of reading at least some of the articles, but sometimes I just didn't get around to it and, when I did, the articles still had this same dynamic to them. In the past year I have seriously considered writing an open letter to the organization asking the question, "At what point do you stop calling yourself a Christian?", not as an accusation; I really wanted to know. After all, if it walks like a duck and sounds like a duck and looks like a duck, then it's probably a duck.<br />
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But, if it does none of those things, can you still call it a duck?<br />
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I got the most recent edition a couple of weeks ago. There was a clarification of the title from the previous edition - which I hadn't read - called Breaking Faith by Vosper, and some feedback on that same article from one of the readers. Apparently I had missed something important. So I looked up the article online as I no longer had my hard copy.<br />
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It turns out that Vosper - a UCC minister - basically comes out as an Atheist, but not in the way you'd think. It was a very interesting article and I will try to summarize part of what she said, as best I understand it, without doing her a disservice. I admire her honesty, openness and concern. You can read the full article <a href="http://progressivechristianity.ca/prc/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/ProgressionsFeb2014-Revised.pdf" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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Vosper doesn't believe in an interventionist god; at least not as most people would define god. As an Atheist, Vosper doesn't believe in any supernatural deity, Christian or not. But, she does believe in the bible. In fact, she believes the bible to be essential to the long term sustainability of humanity. She even criticizes those who have left the church who say that they don't need church to be a good Christian as breeding "a frightening biblical and ethical ignorance". So, how does one believe in the bible, but not in the god of that bible (as commonly understood)? She believes the bible and everything in it to be metaphorical - metaphors worthy of basing your life on. And, she believes that god is not some supernatural interventionist deity, but a concept and metaphor.<br />
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Although I have come a long way since my fundamentalist roots, I'm not sure I'm willing to go as far as Vosper. After all, if the bible is so influential and wise, where did this wisdom come from? I don't know that I'm willing to base my life on any wisdom of man-made origin when it has proven so fallible in the past. But, if I had to choose between the interventionist god of the fundamentalists and the metaphorical god of Vosper, I would choose Vosper's god. It seems to me that belief in the interventionist god hasn't created the fruits of the spirit spoken of in the bible - in fact it has created the exact opposite a lot of the time.<br />
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But, do I have to choose?<br />
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E.F. Schumacher says that when there are divergent views such as this, it is this very divergence that causes us to seek God. That causes us to seek the third way. To find, and hold, the tension of the two views in the love and compassion and understanding that is God.<br />
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At least for anyone honestly seeking truth.<br />
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<br />Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-85383492483813711162014-05-20T17:51:00.000-07:002014-05-20T17:51:33.467-07:00The Death of RaoulRaoul was evil incarnate. He killed out of the shear pleasure of it. If there was anything he could do to make his enemy's life more miserable, he would do it. He took pleasure in inflicting slow, methodical pain. He had goals, and God help anyone who got in his way.<br />
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Fortunately, Raoul is only a character in a James Rollins book; The Map of Bones. As far as I know, Rollins isn't what you would call a Christian. I suspect he has deep Catholic roots though as many of his stories center on religious themes with the Catholic Church playing a major role (at least in the books I have read so far).<br />
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In the closing moments of Map of Bones, Raoul needs to place a golden key into the center of a maze in order to unlock the final secret; the secret to the magic contained in the relics of the bones of the Magi - the Three Wise Men. However, unknown to him, the hero of the story has given him a forged key that instead of unlocking that secret, will destroy them as a fail-safe to protect the secret.<br />
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Think Indiana Jones.<br />
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When Raoul places the key in the hole, the earth starts to tremble. Things start falling and a deep unearthly moan emanates from the cathedral they are in. Suddenly, a beam of light focuses on Raoul. It is so intense and pure that it forces him to the ground. Raoul writhes in agony; it is worse than hell itself. It only lasts a minute but it has torn Raoul's entire life apart. The light has reached into the core of his being and shown him what he is, but worse than that it has shown him what he could have been. <br />
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When it's over, Raoul is lying on the ground, a waste of a man and the only thing he is capable of saying is:<br />
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I never asked to be forgiven.<br />
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<br />Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-82836694970860674932014-01-19T10:24:00.000-08:002014-01-19T10:24:07.389-08:00Timng is EverythingOk, I admit, I have a very caustic, sarcastic sense of humour. Most people seem to think I'm fairly funny, at least at times. I guess I have my moments. The trouble with this kind of humour is that timing is everything. Say something too soon and you've just insulted someone, too late and you've lost the moment and it's not funny. I'm afraid my timing has sometimes been less than perfect. My kids have inherited this sense of humour, but when they were younger it didn't always work because their timing was off. So I would remind them of the importance of timing. They're way better at it now.<br />
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I've often wondered why Jesus came when he did. Why that particular time in history. Was the world an especially bad place at the time? Was there something about the Jewish people that triggered it? Did God just suddenly say "well, now's as good a time as any"?<br />
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I have a lot of problems with the violence of the Old Testament and God's part in it. I also have problems with a lot of the rules and regulations in the Old Testament which can seem arbitrary and outdated. <br />
<br />
Lots of very smart, published, people think that the Bible isn't so much a rule book as it is a giant narrative of God's people. A narrative that has a single overarching theme of Love. That it's the story of his people and how they progressed, and failed, and progressed again. How God led them, and his faithfulness despite their failures. <br />
<br />
In Rob Bell's latest book he points out that a lot of the less progressive rules that were instituted were actually very progressive at the time. How, given the culture, what seems like an arbitrary, or even backwards rule, was actually inching them forward.<br />
<br />
All of which brings me back to sarcasm and Jesus.<br />
<br />
Maybe God was moving his people slowly forward, baby step by baby step, until they had been brought to the point that he could send Jesus and they would finally get it. Perhaps, if Jesus had come sooner, it would have been too much of a difference for them and his teachings would have been rejected outright. Maybe God looked down and said "Now's the time. They're ready for the next step".<br />
<br />
Which makes me wonder some more.<br />
<br />
If the Bible is the story of progression towards Love, why do we keep quoting it when we're trying to deal with modern issues like homosexuals, divorce, and the roles of women. Maybe those were baby steps and the time has come to move on.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-35921428122947077672014-01-04T19:37:00.002-08:002014-01-04T19:37:23.340-08:00Staggering Down the StreetI must admit that these days I have a hard time with Christians who say things like; " I've been so blessed by God". I mean, does God like them more than non-Christians or even other Christians? Generally speaking it's mostly fundamentalist Christians who use words like that, which drives me crazy. Even when I was in the fundy scene it drove me crazy. I'd hear words like that, and I'd think I must be some kind of loser, because I didn't feel blessed - maybe I was, but I certainly didn't feel that way.<br />
<br />
I have a certain viewpoint on the Christian life and what it's all about, and it's different from the "I'm on the bus to heaven" viewpoint of the fundamentalists.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Shalom is the state of all things and all people doing what they were created to do. It is nothing less than God's intention for his creation. In an fallen world, shalom is always falling apart. Our job as people of faith is to always be repairing and extending it. The concept of shalom offers a core principle by which to make decisions within our stories. We should repeatedly ask ourselves, What, in this situation, contributes most to the repairing and extension of God's shalom? What action, what attitude, what use of money, what vote, what words?<br />
<br />
Daniel Taylor<br />
</blockquote>
And I agree.<br />
<br />
And what's God's intention for his creation? To get to heaven? No. It's Love. Love for <em>all</em> people. Not just love for those that are lovable, or those in our tribe, but <em>all</em> people. Now, the word shalom includes other nuances like justice, peace, righteousness, etc. but at it's core, it's love.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sin is any act or attitude which undercuts God's shalom. It is best not thought of as hurting God's feelings by breaking his rules; it is an offence against wholeness, justice, and righteousness. As such, it is always harmful - to the self and to the community ...<br />
<br />
Daniel Taylor<br />
</blockquote>
In other words sin is any act or attitude we have that isn't loving - that isn't contributing to the repairing or extension of shalom; which probably makes sin much more about what we don't do, than what we do.<br />
<br />
And it affects <em>everyone</em>.<br />
<br />
When we love <em>everyone</em> around us - when we act according to God's intended purpose for his creation, and the world moves just a little closer to the way it was designed to be in the first place - <em>everyone</em> benefits.<br />
<br />
Back to my irritating little phrase.<br />
<br />
Mostly when I hear that phrase - if not outwardly, then at least inwardly - I roll my eyes, have a little smirk, and then carry on as if I'd never heard it. Because, truth be told, I suspect most of these so called blessings are really just coincidences. But, the other day I paid attention as the person who made it started to recount their various blessings. The person who said it is outgoing, friendly, always willing help someone out; a real roll-up-the-shirtsleeves-and-get-the-job-done sort of person. And it occurred to me that most of the blessings they were talking about were probably just people responding in kind - effectively, it was shalom in action.<br />
<br />
Maybe it's not that fundamentalists are irritatingly naive in this regard, maybe it's just that their practise of shalom is so limited. Your typical fundamentalist is very good at practising shalom with others within their church community, but not so good with people outside that community, unless they're a project to be saved. However, maybe in a small way they've actually got it right, but what they attribute to God's blessing is really just the natural consequence of living as designed.<br />
<br />
You know, I look over what I just wrote, crossing the I's, dotting the T's, trying to make sure it flows, and I think to myself; <br />
<br />
"What a bunch of BS".<br />
<br />
I mean, what I wrote is 100% true, but do I have any right to criticize anyone? Sure, my outlook might be more generous - I try really hard to treat <em>everyone </em>equally with the shalom of God - but I fail miserably, and regularily. At least a lot of these fundy's are consistently treating those in their tribe with shalom, but is that better or worse than my inconsistent treatment of everyone?<br />
<br />
Maybe I need to preface every blog post with those infamous words from Tolstoy:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Do not judge God's holy ideals by my inability to meet them"<br />
</blockquote>
But then he goes on to explain;<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"... you preach very well, but do you carry out what you preach?” This is the most natural of questions and one that is always asked of me; it is usually asked victoriously, as though it were a way of stopping my mouth. “You preach, but how do you live?” And I answer that I do not preach, that I am not able to preach, although I passionately wish to. I can preach only through my actions, and my actions are vile. … And I answer that I am guilty, and vile, and worthy of contempt for my failure to carry them out.At the same time, not in order to justify, but simply in order to explain my lack of consistency, I say: Look at my present life and then at my former life, and you will see that I do attempt to carry them out. It is true that I have not fulfilled one thousandth part of them [Christian precepts], and I am ashamed of this, but I have failed to fulfill them not because I did not wish to, but because I was unable to. Teach me how to escape from the net of temptations that surrounds me, help me and I will fulfill them; even without help I wish and hope to fulfill them.<br />
Attack me, I do this myself, but attack <em>me</em> rather than the path I follow and which I point out to anyone who asks me where I think it lies. If I know the way home and am walking along it drunkenly, is it any less the right way because I am staggering from side to side! If it is not the right way, then show me another way; but if I stagger and lose the way, you must help me, you must keep me on the true path, just as I am ready to support you. Do not mislead me, do not be glad that I have got lost, do not shout out joyfully: “Look at him! He said he was going home, but there he is crawling into a bog!” No, do not gloat, but give me your help and support.<br />
</blockquote>
Amen.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-8917881585299725462013-12-22T12:44:00.000-08:002013-12-22T12:44:49.145-08:00A House Without WallsAs stated in my previous post, I will attempt to give an alternate understanding of John 14. Why John 14? This was another section of scripture that was quoted at the funeral I attended which is quoted at a lot funerals for people within the Christian tradition, particularly of the evangelical persuasion. If you are part of a community that values the prospect of everlasting life in paradise above all else, this section is what you are basing that belief on.<br />
<br />
First off a disclaimer; I don't know shit. Maybe, everyone else is right and I'm wrong. Could be. And what I'm offering is only one possible explanation of many. But, it seems to me, given the context, it has some merit.<br />
<br />
To understand where I am coming from I need to explain one of the fundamental goals of mysticism. All traditions, Christian and otherwise have their mystics; for Christians it's people like Augustine, Theresa of Avila, Meister Eckhart, and even C.S. Lewis. Muslims have the Sufis like Rumi. Buddhist have ... well Buddha ... but others as well. etc. The thing to understand about all these mystics is that their ultimate goal - the reason they are called mystics - is that they are so in tune with God that there is no distinction between them and God. Here are a couple of Sufi quotes to give you the idea;<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Beloved gives us the water of life,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
which cures every illness.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In the Beloved's rose garden of Oneness</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
no thorns survive.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have heard it said that there is a window</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
between one heart to another.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But what supports the window</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
if walls have ceased to exist?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Rumi</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Remove me from myself ,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
so that all that remains is you, Beloved.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Take my life so that I can stand in your Presence.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Let all that remains be you.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Hallaj</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Nothing exists but you, Beloved.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You are my speech. You are the silence of my mind.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You sleep with me. You walk the path with me.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
There is nowhere I can go where you are not.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have disappeared. Only you remain.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Bulleh Shah</i></div>
<br />
Back to John 14. The key section here is the one where Jesus says that in his father's house are many room, and he goes to prepare a place for [his disciples].<br />
If you start reading this section at John 13 and keep reading to the end of John 17 you get a better idea of what this section is all about. There are two things that Jesus keeps harping about throughout these 4 chapters; One is that his disciples need to follow his example, and the other is that he and the Father are one; if you've seen Him you've seen the Father and vice versa. There are also some mentions of the Holy Spirit coming after he is gone so they know what to do when he's not there.<br />
<br />
But it isn't about going to heaven.<br />
<br />
To try and get a little clarity on John 14:2, I think you need to jump all the way to John 17:24-26<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.</blockquote>
<br />
In John 14:2, and throughout these 4 chapters, I think Jesus is speaking as a mystic. He is saying, in parabolic language, that as he and the Father are one, so the disciples are to be as well. That he wants them in the same place (relationally speaking) as he is where there is no distinction between God, or Jesus, or them. When he says to them; "In my father's house are many rooms ... I go to prepare a place for you" he is saying come live with me in complete union with the Beloved where you disappear and only the Father remains; where not only the windows between you and him disappear, but also the walls.<br />
<br />Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-10371028716425801022013-12-15T09:59:00.000-08:002013-12-15T10:11:26.661-08:00Solomon and BuddhaWe went to a fundamentalist church yesterday for the first time in a long time. But, it was for a funeral. I was dreading the salvation message that typifies most funerals in fundy churches; fortunately I was spared the embarrassment of having to walk out (I don't think I actually would have, but in my mind I'm sure I would have walked).<br />
<br />
Overall the sermon wasn't too bad. When I do go to church these days - any church - I have the habit of picking apart the sermon and reinterpreting any scripture readings (which I will get to in my next post). Part of his sermon was the famous section in Ecclesiastes were Solomon - the wisest man in the world - says there's a time for everything; a time to be born, a time to die; a time to sow, a time to reap etc. Think Bob Dylan. The point the Pastor was trying to make was that nothing is random: there's a purpose to everything. A very comforting thought at a funeral.<br />
<br />
The trouble is he's missed the point, even if well intentioned.<br />
<br />
Conveniently he's forgotten the statement at the end of Ecclesiastes where Solomon says that everything is meaningless. It's really too bad that this selective memory is all too common when people quote scripture. Although more prevalent in fundamentalist churches, it's not unique. In fact it's not unique to Christianity; Muslims do it too (think of the popular definition of Jihad - Holy war - as misread by a select few), as well as others.<br />
<br />
The proper reading of Ecclesiastes - all of it - is actually more in line with the concept of Impermanence, which is a cornerstone of Buddhism. To a Buddhist everything is impermanent, both good and bad. All relationships, possessions, and life situations will eventually go away. Nothing lasts forever. The point is to enjoy the good you have today and don't worry too much about the bad. It also ties in with another of their cornerstones which is Mindfulness; to be present in the moment, not worrying about the past or the future.<br />
<br />
Who knew Solomon and Buddha were twins.<br />
<br />
This is yet more proof that there is value in all religions. That we have more in common with our Muslim or Buddhist brother than we think. That any differences we might perceive to have may actually be due to our misinterpretation of scripture.<br />
<br />
Scripture may well be inerrant - as the fundamentalists believe - but our interpretation of it, is far from it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-11428218391176116202013-12-05T08:42:00.001-08:002013-12-05T08:42:32.450-08:00A Robe of WordsThose who don't feel this love<br />
pulling them like a river,<br />
those who don't drink dawn<br />
like a cup of spring water<br />
or take in sunset like supper,<br />
those who don't want to change,<br />
<br />
let them sleep.<br />
<br />
This love is beyond the study of theology,<br />
that old trickery and hypocrisy,<br />
If you want to improve your mind that way,<br />
<br />
sleep on.<br />
<br />
I've given up on my brain.<br />
I've torn the cloth to shreds<br />
and thrown it away.<br />
<br />
If you're not completely naked,<br />
wrap your beautiful robe of words<br />
around you,<br />
<br />
and sleep.<br />
<br />
<i>Rumi</i>Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-26013763185485713922013-11-18T14:10:00.004-08:002013-11-18T14:10:56.913-08:00Donkeys and PigsThere's a traditional Sufi saying: A donkey carrying a load of Holy books is still a donkey.<br />
<br />
The modern version might be: You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.<br />
<br />
The point of the Sufi saying, I believe, is that if there's no evidence that our spirituality has transformed our outer lives, it's useless.<br />
<br />
Let's live like we mean it.Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-21655398662864026102013-08-04T22:47:00.000-07:002013-08-04T22:47:35.955-07:00Sinning Without Guilt<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Paul tells us in Romans 7:8 that "sin takes advantage of the law" to achieve it's own purposes. What does he mean by that? Our unconverted and natural egocenticity (sin) uses religion for the purposes of gaining self-respect. If you want to hate someone, want to be vicious or vengeful or cruel: Do it for religious reasons! Do it thinking you're obeying the law, thinking you're following some commandment or some verse from the bible. It works quite well. Your untouched egocentricity can and will use religion to feel superior and "right". It is a comon pattern.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
... But because we have not taken Jesus' and Paul's teaching seriously, we have often created a religion of smugness - where people actually think they are not sinners and have obeyed the law. They have "saved" themselves, as it were, and have little need of mercy, compassion and the generosity of God. God is a good enforcer for them, but not the Saving Love revealed to Israel. They have achieved a certain level of good manners and self-control, but with no real need for divine union, surrender or trust in Anybody Else.</blockquote>
Fr. Richard Rohr<br />
Things Hidden<br />
Scripture as Spirituality<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-68650823255881117932013-06-26T18:24:00.002-07:002013-06-26T18:27:32.721-07:00Transcendent BullshitI must admit that prayer has confused me for some time now. I used to pray on a semi-regular basis, as any good evangelical would. If I was honest though, most of my prayer life surrounded asking for things like safety of loved ones, direction in life, good weather, or a hollandaise sauce that didn't suck. Oh, I'd add the requisite praise section so I didn't piss off God. And of course the, I'm-so-sorry-for-my-sins bit, just to make sure I ended up in heaven. After all I didn't want to end up like my neighbour who has blown my driveway every winter, all winter, for the past 23 years, but doesn't call himself a Christian. But, basically I was just asking God to do things for me. I didn't see anything wrong with this as most of the sermons, or books that I came across on prayer seemed to be about how to get God to do stuff for you.<br />
<br />
Then I started down my current spiritual path that questioned everything, including prayer. I quickly became disgusted with my prayer life. How can I pray for safety, when others who pray just as hard are killed? How can I pray for food when others in the world are starving? Do I deserve it more? Or, more importantly, do they deserve it less? What about those that are riddled with cancer, did they not pray hard enough? I quickly stopped praying. I loved God too much to pray with such disrespect. Plus, any God that I could control with prayer wasn't worth worshiping.<br />
<br />
There is so much discussion, controversy, and opinion about prayer - everyone seems to think they have the answer - that I'm starting to think that, like all things that have a lot of conflicting opinions, nobody's right. I wonder if we've missed the point entirely. What if prayer has nothing to do with the content of your prayer like praising God, or asking forgiveness, or manipulating? What if it doesn't matter if you're a health-and-wealth pentecostal, or an ascetic living in the desert? What if it does matter if you're speaking in tongues, or reciting the liturgy, because that's not the point.<br />
<br />
What if the only point to prayer, no matter how you do it, is just to keep us connected to the divine? To make us realize that there's something other than ourselves out there. That there is something transcendent to aspire to? That there's more to life and living than just us? Maybe when you pray for something, and you get it (and I have, or so it seems), maybe it's just coincidence. Maybe it would have happened if you had prayed or not. Maybe that's why people pray for food and still starve to death, or pray for safety and still get killed, or pray for healing and still end up in a pine box. Maybe the tapestry illustration is just bullshit, but that's ok, because through it all we've remained connected to the transcendent - to something beyond ourselves.<br />
<br />
There's a story about some famous guy - I forget his name - but, apparently he said, "I have so much to do today, I couldn't possibly get it all done without 3 hours of prayer". Perhaps he just wasted 3 hours of his day that could have been spent more productively. Or maybe, like a Buddhist, he spent 3 hours transcendently connected to the divine, and whatever happened that day would have happened anyway.Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-90770773601565547172013-03-31T02:35:00.000-07:002013-03-31T03:08:27.916-07:00The Magic of Good Friday<br />
It was sunny when you first joined the line in the Outer Court, but you've finally made it inside the temple just as it clouded over. The crowds, the noise, the heat, dodging the endless processions of criminals going to Golgotha has made for a very long day. You've come to offer your sacrifice to the priest, and on the far side of the room you see <i>The Curtain</i>. The curtain is there for your benefit, it shields you from the holiness of your God who lives on the other side - the God who has chosen you and your people, set you apart, protected you, guided you, provided for your every need. The God who will one day set you free, vindicating you before all nations, and declaring you righteous. Then ... a vibration, ever so slight at first, felt only in the soles of your feet. It continues to strengthen until you need to reach out for something, anything, to maintain your balance. The noise builds with it. The sound of falling stones offends your ears. Panic sets in. Then you hear it: A sound you can't quite place. It starts off softly, quickly intensifying, until your sure it's going to violate your very soul. It's close.<br />
<br />
Very close. <br />
<br />
You first catch sight of it out of the corner of your eye. The Curtain. The curtain is torn wide open - from top to bottom. Instinctively you look away. You've been told your whole life that if you could see behind the curtain you'd be blinded, if not killed. But you can't help yourself. You steal a quick look, hoping it's fast enough you don't get caught. Before you know it you're on your knees in debilitating disbelief, and your stomach is trying to leave your body through your mouth. What you see behind the curtain is ... <i>nothing</i>: No searing light, no chorus of angels, no heavenly presence on a throne - nothing but a slightly raised section of floor and an incense burner. Like a magician pulls the curtain aside to reveal the empty box where his beautiful assistant once stood, your god is gone.<br />
<br />
Or was he ever there?<br />
<br />
The traditional explanation for the curtain tearing says it's God's way of showing there's no longer any separation between God and man; we are free to approach God without a mediator. But Peter Rollins and Jay Bakker have another take. Jay explains it like this. What if the point of tearing the curtain in two was to expose the fact that there's nothing there, and never was: that any illusion we've created about God is just that - an illusion. Once faced with the fallacy of this god, the question then becomes, which god are we going to believe in. Maybe destroying the curtain was to show the god of the good parking space, the miraculous healing, the lid for every pot, the hedge of protection - the god we've so carefully created in our image - doesn't exist. But the God of self sacrificing love does. He's the one hanging on the cross.<br />
<br />
He's the one to follow.<br />
<br />
<br />Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-42912321389287105532013-03-27T16:58:00.000-07:002013-03-27T16:58:18.117-07:00Les MisI had heard, more than once, how spiritual Les Miserables was, but the only version I had ever seen was the one with Liam Neeson in it. Although there were a couple of scenes that could be seen as spiritual, that was about it. But the latest version with Hugh Jackman is much different. I now understand.<br />
<br />
We watched the Hugh Jackman version the other night. Unlike some people I don't hate
musicals, in fact I actually like some. But I must admit there was
a bit too much singing in this one; it all became tiresome quite quickly. But don't let that ringing endorsement turn you off to this
movie.<br />
<br />
This is a story of Legalism and Grace.<br />
<br />
Jean Valjean is an ex-con who's paroled, but goes on the lam, with his arch nemesis Javert trying ever after to recapture him. Early on in the movie Valjean experiences unmerited, radical grace and it colours everything he does after that. At one point Valjean even extends this grace to Javert who is, ultimately, incapable of accepting it.<br />
<br />
What a picture of the religious community today. You have those who are either outside, or on the margins of religious acceptance. You have the unmerited, radical Grace of God practiced by a few. And you have the majority ready to defend their borders at all costs.<br />
<br />
Which is better?<br />
<br />Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-10977282000158694572013-03-24T11:40:00.002-07:002013-03-24T11:40:55.244-07:00The EunuchLisa Salazar is a trans-gender Christian who was married for many years, but then made the agonizing choice to become the female she always felt she was. You can hear her story on the Drew Marshall archive from last week if you want. Drew had a one hour Round Table segment with 3 different guests; Lisa, Wendy Gritter from New Direction ministries, and Dr. Lawrence Brice author of "The Uncomfortable Church: Can Gays be Reconciled to the Body of Christ". After Lisa told most of her story Drew turned the mic over to Brice to explain what his book was all about. From that point forward the conversation was dominated by the Church's lack of acceptance when it comes to LGBTQ's.<br />
<br />
Brice's book was, in a nutshell, the concept of "love the sinner, hate the sin". After hearing him talk I was left with the impression that if anyone could actually live out that concept it would be him. He says we do it all the time; we love certain people even though we don't agree with them: we love our family, people at work, people in our social groups, even though we may not agree with certain thoughts or aspects of their lives.<br />
<br />
On the surface this makes a lot of sense; however, there's something visceral, even primal, when someone disagrees with our basic belief system - something that defines who we are - it's not like disagreeing with a cat person when you're a dog person. And from what I have seen, and experienced, 99.999% of people, especially the religious community, are incapable of truly loving someone whom they fundamentally disagree with.<br />
<br />
While Lisa was very appreciative of Brice's attitude of acceptance, she felt it didn't go far enough. You see, in Brice's church, even though they foster an attitude of acceptance, they won't let an LGBTQ person serve in any capacity.<br />
<br />
In Lisa's eyes, and I suspect in most LGBTQ's eyes, this isn't true acceptance. She told of a pivotal moment in her life when she read the story of the Ethiopian eunuch in the book of Acts. Most Christians think a eunuch is someone who has chosen a life of celibacy, but this isn't accurate. I saw a TV show awhile ago about India where there is quite a large population of eunuchs. Eunuchs are people born with ambiguous gender - they are basically trans-gender people. Lisa then went on to make several points. <br />
<br />
She wondered why the story even mentioned the person in Acts was a eunuch if it wasn't of some importance. If the story was simply about someone being baptized, or someone who comes to a sudden realization of the transcendence of the new Christian movement, or someone from the royal court, then there's no reason to even bring up their sexuality. Obviously it was significant.<br />
<br />
She then brought up the part where the eunuch asks Philip, "What prevents me from being baptized?" The answer - nothing. The eunuch was fully accepted into the family of God, based completely on faith. There was no, "first you have to say the <i>prayer</i>", no "first you have to give up your lifestyle" - just complete and total acceptance.<br />
<br />
Grace.<br />
<br />
What became extremely obvious throughout the interview, bolstered by comments from Wendy Gritter who works with LGBTQ people, was that anything less than complete acceptance by the church equals rejection. While they appreciate anyone who is truly capable of "love the sinner, hate the sin" it doesn't go far enough. It's not the radical Grace exemplified by Jesus.<br />
<br />
I deeply respect Dr. Brice and his views - it can't be easy putting forth even the limited view of LGBTQ acceptance that he has within the conservative Christian community. The problem is that he and his church still view LGBTQ's as a mission, a project, a person or group to be consumed.Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-61046860289963236242013-03-21T22:40:00.001-07:002013-03-24T11:41:29.416-07:00Neat, with a Splash of WaterI received a News Letter today from an acquaintance of mine who, in the past, had been very involved in the home-school / private Christian school movement. He felt he needed to address the anti-bullying legislation that has been raging in the media lately.<br />
<br />
Let's just say I'm beginning to think that substance abuse is a gift from God to those of us trying to separate ourselves from our fundamentalist past.<br />
<br />
Now...where did I put that bottle of Scotch??Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-62838702578455585142013-03-18T14:45:00.003-07:002013-03-18T14:45:56.734-07:00Life of PiWe watched the movie "Life of Pi" the other night. I had heard of the book, but had no idea what it was about, so I had no real expectations for the movie. The only thing I knew was that it either won, or was nominated for several Academy awards, which is good enough for me. It turns out that it has a very strong spiritual element to it.<br />
<br />
This isn't really a spoiler, as the end is self evident right at the beginning of the movie. A writer comes to Pi's house and asks him to tell his story of being shipwrecked. Basically the entire movie is taken up with him telling this story. At the end he is telling the writer that he told this story to investigators right after it had happened but they didn't believe him, so they asked him to tell them a more plausible version, which he did. The writer then asks him which version is true. He responds by saying that in each story he is shipwrecked, he losses his family, he survives, and the rest no one can prove. He then asks the writer which story he prefers. The writer says the first one. To which he says, "so it goes with God".<br />
<br />
To my mind there are two possible meanings to this (and maybe a third), although I suspect one of them is probably the one that was meant.<br />
<br />
The first one concerns stories in the Bible, specifically the Old Testament, such as the creation story and others. The Jews don't believe the creation story literally. To them it is a metaphorical myth they use to explain the origins of the earth and their people - more specifically how our relationship with God was disrupted. The important thing to them isn't whether or not it actually happened, but the lessons learned.<br />
<br />
We have also been watching the mini series "The Bible" produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett. The other week was the story of Jericho. You know the one where they march around the city each day for seven days and then on the seventh day they do it seven times, blow their horns, shout, and the walls come down. Lots of people religious people try to put a scientific spin on it, saying the constant marching somehow set up vibrations in the earth; that the trumpets and shouting created a harmonic resonance in the walls causing them to self destructed. However, this really doesn't explain why they had to go in and kill everyone.<br />
<br />
Could it be that this story and others like it in the bible are also metaphorical? That their strength is not historical factuality, but in the personal - and perhaps corporate - lessons to be learned. Could it be that the lesson of Jericho is that God wants us to live in ways that, at the time, do not seem logical, but we need to do it anyway, because "his ways are not our ways"? That the walls are more symbolic of things in our life that are not in concert with God's ways? That once we see God's ways are righteous we need to get rid of all vestiges of things in our life that are not in keeping with his ways? Is their constant march to the promised land really a march to the Kingdom of God as extolled in the New Testament?<br />
<br />
The other possibility for Pi's statement has to do with the various religions in the world. Is it to say that in all religions the basic indisputable tenets are all the same, and the rest can't be proven anyway, so it's just a matter of which one you prefer? Tony Campolo says there are few non-negotiables in the Christian religion, and the rest is up for grabs. Is this similar?<br />
<br />
Which one do you prefer?Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-30150136696091813112013-03-15T08:42:00.001-07:002013-03-18T07:53:40.013-07:00ReflectivenessI just started reading Daniel Taylor's book, "The Myth of Certainty". I was initially reluctant both to order it and to read it, because, quite frankly, I thought it would be a bit pedestrian. So I was pleasantly surprised after reading the first chapter to find it very intriguing. I hope the rest of the book is the same.<br />
<br />
In the first chapter he talks about the phycology of belief: <i>why</i> we believe - not as one might expect from such a book - <i>what</i> we believe. The other thing he talks about is what he calls the Reflective Christian.<br />
<br />
Reflective Christians are those of us that wonder why we believe certain things, those that can see other points of view, those that think there's more than one way to skin a cat, those that probably - but not necessarily - have a blog about such things ☺. It was good to read that chapter, because as a reflective christian you often feel like your crazy. You hear people talk and you have all these thoughts going through your head that don't agree with what everyone else is saying. You are often - at least it feels that way - standing on the outside, looking in. Speaking of thoughts: it can also be exhausting, because your mind is constantly going, constantly analyzing the pros and cons of a particular concept or idea, constantly searching for answers. As mentioned in previous posts, it is probably why I watch too much TV sometimes; I just want something mindless to distract my brain for a bit to give it a rest. As discussed in the chapter, it's not that reflective people are more intelligent than others, it's just that some people are, and some aren't.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Why all this on the psychology of belief? Because it helps to discover that you may not be crazy. If you get out of step in a subculture you are often subtly made to feel if not crazy, then guilty, or stupid, or anything else that will pressure you back into the pack. And these feelings heighten if you assume that everyone else believes what they do for unimpeachable reasons, while your difficulties merely evidence your own weakness, recalcitrance, or bad manners. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sometimes that may be the case, but often reflective people are out of step because they sense that something is not right. They may be confused themselves, but they should be listened to. God has often used those with troubled hearts to speak to their society and to call His people closer to himself.</blockquote>
So, whether you know yourself to be, or suspect you might be, or think you might have a bit of reflectiveness in you, this might be a good read.<br />
<br />
I'll let you know.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-82755430231182208942013-03-13T20:36:00.000-07:002013-03-13T20:40:50.489-07:00Time for a ChangeI think it might be time for me to change. Between this quote from Richard Rohr;<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>In the spiritual life, there aren’t too many absolutes I can
make, but this is certainly one. On the spiritual journey, the message
is always to <span style="text-decoration: underline;">you</span>. The message s always telling <span style="text-decoration: underline;">you</span> to change. </i><br />
<i>Now, what most people do is they use religion to try to change <span style="text-decoration: underline;">other</span>
people. It’s always someone else that needs changing. No. Stop it. Once
and for all. Whatever happens to you in your life is a message to <span style="text-decoration: underline;">you</span>. </i><br />
<i>Oh the ego wants to avoid that. So we look for something out there to change–somebody not like me is always the problem.</i></blockquote>
And Paul Knitter's book "Without Buddha I Could not be a Christian" I'm starting to see that my caustic, sarcastic ways might not be appropriate. A lot of fun. But not appropriate.<br />
<br />
The trouble is; how to do it? I've been doing this all my life. Hell, I've even justified it by telling myself that Jesus was the most critical of those who should have known better, so why not take a few shots at the fundamentalist. I realize it's like shooting fish in a barrel, but it needs to be done. Right?<br />
<br />
Baby steps.Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-30964907523135303372013-03-01T22:09:00.000-08:002013-03-24T11:43:47.951-07:00Driving God to Drink<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13pt;">The camera slowly pans the
auditorium from left to right. It's jammed with people. The voice-over tells us it holds 900 people, and the crowd has even spilled over into another
room. It then starts to cut in closer and we see there are nests of people
in the chairs - six to eight - some hunched over with their elbows on
their knees. They seem to be examining the floor like it's going to start
talking to them. Others are sitting upright with their arms outstretched
slightly, their palms facing up ready to catch a baby being tossed from a
burning tenement house. It looks like their eyeballs would escape if it weren't
for their lids being closed so tight. Their lips move, but we can't hear what
they're saying. The little groups are everywhere. All doing the same thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13pt;">It turns out this is a
school auditorium. The voice-over tells us this school is located in a small
city known for it's plethora of car dealerships - and it's religious
conservatism. And they are praying. But what has happened? Has there been
another senseless slaying of innocent children? A hurricane swept through town
leaving hundreds dead? An ax murderer from Hawaii prowling the streets looking
for wayward fruit?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13pt;">No. They are fervently
petitioning the Almighty because of anti-bullying legislation. The government
has said that if you are a public school, or a private one that gets money from
them, you have to have certain anti-bullying policies in place. And what,
exactly, are they so upset about? Two things. They have to allow anyone who
wants to set up a group such as a gay-straight alliance to do so, and they
think the definition of bullying is too broad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13pt;">What is a gay-straight
alliance you ask? Here's a definition from Wiki.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Gay–straight alliances</span></b><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> (<b>GSAs</b>) are student-led organizations, found primarily in
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America"><span style="text-decoration: none;">North American</span></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_school"><span style="text-decoration: none;">high schools</span></a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University"><span style="text-decoration: none;">universities</span></a>, that are
intended to provide a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe_space"><span style="text-decoration: none;">safe</span></a>
and supportive environment for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbian"><span style="text-decoration: none;">lesbian</span></a>,
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay"><span style="text-decoration: none;">gay</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisexuality"><span style="text-decoration: none;">bisexual</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender"><span style="text-decoration: none;">transgender</span></a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer"><span style="text-decoration: none;">queer</span></a>/<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Questioning_%28sexuality_and_gender%29"><span style="text-decoration: none;">questioning</span></a>
(<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ"><span style="text-decoration: none;">LGBTQ</span></a>) youth and their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_ally"><span style="text-decoration: none;">straight allies</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Sounds horrible! How can you
possibly expect people who worship a God that defines himself as Love to be so
accepting? Impossible, I say. Next you'll be expecting them to love their
neighbour as themself. Not gonna happen my friend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13pt;">And what about this broad
definition? The issue is that the legislation includes a statement that defines
one of the symptoms of bullying as hurting someone's feelings. Now, I admit,
this one could go sideways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13pt;">What it says is, any
behavior<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13pt;">"intended to cause, or
should be known to cause, fear, intimidation, humiliation, distress or other
forms of harm to another person’s body, feelings, self-esteem, reputation or
property.”</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13pt;"> I'm not exactly sure
how you remove the word "feelings" from that statement and still have
anything worthwhile left over to work with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Are we seriously fighting
over the protection of vulnerable people because we don't want our religious
sensibilities offended? Is this what conservative fundamentalism has come to?
Besides, do you honestly expect someone who attends one of these conservative
private schools to put up their hand in class and announce they are gay - even
if there is a gay-straight alliance? This is why people send their
children to a private christian school in the first place: so they won't be
sullied by the world; so they won't have to deal with what the rest of us
call... life. You'd be better off wandering into the polar bear pit at the
zoo with your pockets full of hamburger. It would be worse than hell. You'd
have half of them ostracizing you, and the other half trying to convert you. I
don't know which would be worse. Maybe the bureaucrats in these private schools
are actually doing the gay community a favour by classifying them as sub-human.
Now I realize there are other people that are bullied, but by far the
largest group is the LGBTQ's, and the religious community has made it quite
clear that these people are the problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13pt;">It's at times like this that
I imagine God walking to the front of his mansion, drawing the blinds, locking
the front door, going up stairs and packing a small bag. He then sneaks out the
back door for an extended vacation in the eastern Uzbekistan so the reporters
can't find him. Perhaps drinking himself into a stupor on the flight over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13pt;">“Woe to you, teachers of the
law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill
and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the
law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter,
without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but
swallow a camel... ...you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,
how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her
chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."</span></blockquote>
<!--EndFragment-->Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429949754509319722.post-52727070558027258812013-02-02T14:59:00.000-08:002013-02-02T15:04:34.551-08:00Vacuums, Sex, and the Christian Life<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As most readers of this blog will know,
I listen to Drew Marshall on a regular basis. In fact, I get email
updates on what's coming up for the next Saturdays broadcast. The
other week nothing really interested me other than the regular
segment called God Blogger. Every week he interviews someone
who blogs on spiritual matters. I like to see who's out there in
case there's someone interesting to follow. So far I haven't really
come across many. Even some that seemed interesting on the show turn
out to be ho-hum: probably like most people think of my blog. The
other day at work things were quite slow, so I looked up the God
Blogger for the next Saturday. He seemed more fundamentalist than I
was prepared to invest any energy into, but one thing led to another
and I ended up looking at material that was actually about one of the
other guests that Saturday.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The other guest was a couple who had
written a book on marriage. The particular article I was reading
contained the 8 tips to a better marriage in their book. It turns out
that the guy had been the pastor of a fairly successful church, but
then he had an affair which ended his ministry, and just about ended
his marriage.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The whole thing got me thinking about a
time many years ago when the Promise Keepers phenomena was just
starting. I went to a couple of events including a very large one in
Minneapolis. There were lots of very dynamic speakers there, but
truth be told, I don't remember very much other than, for some
reason, that there were several on marriage. Most of the marriage
topics went along the lines of, “Once I was an asshole, but I'm not
anymore - let me tell you about it”. Which, if you are an asshole,
should be very enlightening, and maybe even life changing.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For example, one of the speakers told
the story about the time his wife was out of the house and it
suddenly occurred to him to actually pick up the vacuum cleaner and
start helping out around the house. Apparently when his wife came
home she was so shocked and appreciative that they made out right
there on the living room next to the vacuum cleaner. Obviously the
only natural response to this kind of revelation is to go on a
national speaking tour, and maybe write a book - it's all perfectly
understandable.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
You may have picked on the vibe that I
don't care for programs like Promise Keepers, or Forty Days of
Purpose, or, even books like the one that was written by Drew's
guests, and the reason is very simple.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They're all missing the point of
Christianity.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
With all the talk, and teaching from
the pulpit, of Jesus being our Saviour so that we can go to heaven
when we die, we've forgotten the point of Christianity. As Peter
Rollins says, the point of Christianity is not about having a life
after death, but a life before death. It's about becoming fully human
in the way that we were originally designed to be. It's about
becoming the new people of God whose purpose is to be a blessing to
the world. It's about following Jesus into a life of self sacrificing
love. If you lack purpose in your life, I would suggest, you haven't
come to know the one true God as incarnated in Christ. The life of
Jesus has given all of us more purpose than any of us can possibly
fulfill in a lifetime. If you call yourself a Christian and you're
having trouble keeping your promises, maybe you need to reevaluate if
you actually believe all that stuff you say you believe. As Gandhi
said, if Christians were to act like Christians the whole world would
be saved in a matter of years.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We don't need Promise Keepers to show
us how to keep promises - we just need to believe that Jesus is
actually Lord. We don't need Forty Days of Purpose to give us
purpose - we just need to do what Jesus told us to. We don't need
books on marriage that tell us how not to be an asshole, that should
be a given if we call ourselves Christians.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If we are the Christians we claim to
be, it's time to start acting like it, or stop calling ourselves
Christians. If we don't, we are denying Christ, the Resurrection, and
trivializing his crucifixion.
</div>
Rudy Giesbrechthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748632269368429357noreply@blogger.com0