Jesus' Love Is Not Approval

 People are celebrating Christmas this morning.

(By the way, I no longer make a big deal out of Christmas. I exchange gifts with loved ones - as we do all year round - and I do respond to wishes of good tidings. So I hope everyone has had a wonderful time with family and friends this day.)

Now. I have a bone to pick with a tweet I saw this morning. I went on to Twitter to send a message to the support team for an appliance I have and I happened to see this tweet from David Corn in my feed:

That looks like a nice and positive message for the day that some people choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus. (Or for the day that a lot of us choose as a reason to go consumer-crazy.) 

The problem I have with that message is that it is all kinds of shady and misleading. Let's take a look at some of the shade being thrown.

First and foremost, the message implies that followers of Jesus (you know, Christians) are nothing like Jesus because... we follow the teachings of the Bible? It's as if we are being shamed for holding a set of beliefs that come directly from the Bible.

All of this part is true about Jesus. It's also true of many Christians today. Many.

But it makes it sound as if Christians today (or at least the ones Mr. Corn knows of?) would never be seen hanging around with "lepers, hookers, and crooks". He doesn't acknowledge the Christians who spend time working with those who are outcasts (because of illness, deformity, or otherwise), working the streets, or in jail.

Then there is this part:

Jesus was not anti-wealth. It isn't being wealthy that Jesus has a problem with. He just does not want wealth to come between man and salvation. We are not to put wealth above all. 

Because Jesus is not only the Son of God but God Himself, he was not anti-death penalty. He believed in punishment, he just did not want the condemned to die unsaved and unrepentant. 

He was certainly not anti-public prayer, he just did not want man using prayer to call attention to himself by trying to look holy and pious versus being holy and pious. Our prayers are for and to Jesus, not for the approval or admiration of others.

As far as the "anti-gay" mention, Jesus was never against any sinner - gay or otherwise. If the Lord is against sinners, he would be against me. His problem is with sin. 

Remember that Jesus is not just the Son of God but God Himself. God is anti-homosexuality - not anti-homosexual (or anti-liar, anti-thief, etc.). God made man and woman for each other and to procreate together. Man with a man or woman with a woman cannot procreate. I would not be here, you would not be here in that case. (Of course, now science is creating life from life without the need for male-female interaction. But they have not and cannot create life from nothing as God did.)

On the abortion issue, Jesus (God) saw life as it began at conception and, in fact, knew us before we were born, as mentioned in Psalms and elsewhere in Scripture. Taking life before a child is born is murder. 

I'm pretty sure Jesus (God) is not good with the abortion of the unborn child - unwanted or inconvenient - any more than he would be with the abortion/killing of the unwanted or inconvenient child already delivered.

And the birth control? Well, that comes back to the issue of procreation. We use birth control so that we can have the joy of sex without the inconvenience of pregnancy. Aren't we picky? 

This last one was the slickest one of the lot:

No, Jesus most certainly did not "slut-shame". He did, however, tell us to "go and sin no more". 

Listen. God (the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit) is not the who or what, or why that we sometimes want Him to be. He is who He is. We either chose to follow the Son or not. We can't choose which of his teachings to follow. We can't twist his teachings to fit our desires. (Well, we can if we want to, but we aren't fooling the Lord.)

I might be wrong but I don't think that Mr. Corn was trying to point out the goodness of Christ so much as he was trying to make Christ's followers look or feel bad. I think that what Mr. Corn might be trying to say is that we all need to be better people. I agree with that. I pray every day for the Lord to "create in me a clean heart" and to "renew a right spirit in me".  There are days when I am a disappointment to myself. I can be horribly judgemental and wrong-minded. I tell people that I am a work in progress. We all are, I think.

We Christians are not all walking as Christ would want us to but we are individuals. It's not fair to lump all of us in with the worst of us. It's also not fair to try tarnishing Christianity by holding every "bad" thing about it up against your personal ideals. 

I am not Christ. I am his follower. I try to live more by his rules than I do by any other. Being a "good" person doesn't make me a Christian. Being a Christian assures my salvation. It doesn't ensure that I will always be nice, kind, understanding, etc. Ask any of my family or friends or go read some of my blog posts.

By the way, although Christ loves all of us, and doesn't push any of us away because of our sins, he does not condone sin. He forgives them. But to be forgiven, we have to acknowledge that we need forgiveness. One cannot ask forgiveness for things they don't believe is sinful. 

One cannot happily, readily, purposefully, and - most importantly - unrepentantly indulge in sinful things and want forgiveness. That makes no sense. Either we want the sin or we want the forgiveness. 

Now, I am not a theologian, Bible scholar, or any kind of an expert in debate. As a matter of fact, I struggle with an illness that affects my cognitive abilities. I am just a Christian. I am sure that someone could find a better way to get across what I am trying to in this post. I just had to address Mr. Corn's tweet. I hope that he does not think I am attacking him. I think that he has a good heart. But I did have to respond in some way to his post on Twitter.

Peace

--Free

UPDATE **BOOK REVIEW** Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices

UPDATE:

After talking with my brother about this book, I wanted to come and clarify why I think it's such an important read. Mostly, I have come to realize that I have been too often putting tradition over truth and focusing on too many of the wrong things.

One of the main criticisms I hear about Christians is that we are "blind sheep". I always lashed out at that in my heart. I have no problem being called a "sheep" in Christ's flock, but I never want to be a blind follower.

After my brother and I talked for close to 2 hours about this book, I have had to take a step back and re-examine much about myself when it comes to my faith and worship. I wish now that I could go back and re-do some conversations I have had with people who had questions about my faith.

If you are a Christian (or just an observer), you may wonder why we do what we do as far as how we worship. You would think we Christians would know the answer but I sure didn't before now. I think that I have always had questions about the "why" of Christian worship but never looked hard for answers.

1. Why do we dress up for church? In the COGIC church that I attended in my youth, dressing up was a really big deal. I remember that women had dresses that were only for Sunday. And for Easter or Mother's Day... Oh, boy.

2. Why does the clergy have special clothing - robes and collars, etc? Again, in the COGIC church, some ministers went way overboard with fancy colors and patterns. Some of them looked like college graduates with every kind of regalia known to man.

3. Why are choirs and music such a big part of most services? My late husband and many of his peers who played for the church were musicians of professional-level ability. And Whitney Houston was a slouch next to some of the singers in our choir.

4. Why do we put so much into the church building? There are many jokes among church-raised comedians about how many times money is requested in a service. There's the Building Fund, Outreach Fund, a fund for sending kids to summer camp, a fund for replacing the AC or heating or fixing the pews, one for getting the pastor and his wife an anniversary gift, and on and on. Smart congregants would separate their offerings before entering the church. 

5. Why do most of us treat our clergy as if they are not human and fallible? I clearly remember people going full fan-boy or girl when they were chosen to provide the "first family" with a between-services meal on Sundays. Some people went without or with less all week so that they could splurge on the Sunday meal for "pastor".

6. What is up with the guilt over tithing? I never understood tithing and rarely do tithe in addition to giving an offering at the church service.

After all these questions about the roots of worship, I made a list of questions to spend time thinking hard about:

1. Am I worshipping Jesus or am I worshipping traditions? In my case, I think it has been both. I left the church I went to as a young person but I fall right into the ways and conduct of whatever church I do attend. If pants are not allowed for women, I wear a dress. If communion is done a certain way, I follow along. 

2. Do I realize just how I am seen (as a Christian) by people outside my faith? And have I been honest in answering the questions of skeptics?

3. What else am I doing (as far as my faith and my Christian life) that I have not closely examined?

4. If I found the points made in this book so relatable, why have I never put much thought into them? This is a good question. I think that at the back of my mind, I did wonder about many traditions.

For a little over the past year, I have been going deep into Bible study. I didn't even think clearly about why the New Testament letters were written and to whom. As I have always done in reading the Bible, I just loved what I love about them and prayed about what I didn't understand. I realize now that I have been depriving myself of so much by not paying closer attention to context.

One thing I have done in the last few years is not attending church as a member. I occasionally attend with a friend or family member. I have not found a church that feels "right" to me. (I know. That's a lame reason not to go to church.) Mostly, though, I find that I get more from rigorous Bible study. 

The one question I am still trying to answer is how I can go forward with all the insight I got from reading this book. I know that there is a followup of sorts called 

***************

ORIGINAL POST

I love this book. I have questions and things to research and explore further but, basically, this book was a little bit life-changing for me.

(By the way, I got a used copy but you can find it new. It comes in different formats - audio, Kindle, paper- and hardback, and spiral.)

It's hard for me to articulate why this book impacted my way of thinking. I guess it's that the authors addressed so many of my personal concerns about the church and the way Christians behave. 

I truly think that this is a really good read for Atheists and others who currently have a problem with what they see of Christian "religion". Most of the people I know who object to or seriously question Christianity are really objecting to or questioning the behavior of the Christians they see and know.

This book covers the evolution (hah!) of many of the things we do as far as how we Christians treat the religion of Christianity. I have always said that I don't practice religion because I don't think of my faith in and reliance on Jesus Christ as a "religion". It's part of me. It's not what I do but what I am.

One of the first problems I had with the church I attended as a young person was how church was "done" if that makes sense. As a COGIC church, there was a way that services were conducted and a way that the members behaved in church, and the way that they treated the leaders of the church. It was all more worship of man and rules than worship of Christ.

One thing that was (and probably is) very common among the COGIC churches I knew is that the minister was very revered among the members. For example:

• The "first family" of the church (the minister's family) was treated as very special. Their kids were treated like dignitaries and everyone clamored to be in their orbit. If you were seen as part of their inner circle, you were envied.
• Members usually gave the minister and his wife elaborate anniversary gifts. I'm talking cars and cash and expensive jewelry. 
• In one church, the members would take turns having the first family over for Sunday dinner and they were treated like rock stars.

Another thing about the COGIC church was how members prided themselves on dressing especially well. Elaborate hats and hairdressing were popular in some churches; men wore expensive suits and cologne. And during special times or events - Mother's Day, Easter, etc - some churches looked like an Ebony Fashion Fair show. I always hated Easter service in some churches because I couldn't see anything for all the fancy hats. English ladies during Royal Ascot have nothing on black church ladies in the hat arena on Easter Sunday.

Some things that the book brings up never crossed my mind until I read about them. For instance, I never wondered about where the idea of Sunday School came from; why music is such a big part of services; why the various clergy dress the way they do; or why there is such a thing as clergy vs laypeople.

Oh, this book is an eye-opener.

Of course, my rebellious nature sprang up at the first few pages. I felt so vindicated about some things. Then I had to calm down. Because this book is not about stoking rebellion or rejection of "church". It's more about clarifying our focus on how and why we worship.

One of the more urgent things I am encouraged to do after reading this book is to find a copy of the Bible written chronologically and without chapter and verse markings.

This book wants us to worship deeper and more meaningfully without getting tangled up in the manmade inventions that have become such traditions.

So, yeah, I do recommend this book. As a matter of fact, one of my goals for 2022 is to get a copy to certain people I know. These are the people in my life who are looking for Jesus but only seeing the people who worship him in church. They don't see the church of believers because all they see are the buildings and the scandal and the complicated mess that we have made out of being followers of Christ the Savior.

We are only human and it is sometimes our nature to add so many ingredients to the dish that we can't remember what we started cooking.

Peace

--Free

**BOOKS** November December 2021

NOTE: I don't know how often I will update these posts, but I wanted to start sharing books that I find especially good for the Christian reader.

To start off, here are some I have read in the past few months. By the way, I include Amazon links because that's where I get most of my books because they have good and cheap copies available used. You can also find a lot of them at Christianbook.com. All of these are available to listen to for free on my library's audiobook site. Check your library and see if you can find them in audio or ebook format.

• The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between (by Gregory Koukl) I have raved about this to family and friends because of the readability and clarity. I tell people that this is a book for anyone with questions about Christianity or faith in Christianity. The next book is by the same author so you can tell I like his writing style.
  
• Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions (by Gregory Koukl). I found that this one is very useful for someone like me: timid but anxious to share and/or defend my faith. Again, very readable.

• 
  Unparalleled: How Christianity's Uniqueness Makes It Compelling (by Jared C. Wilson). This has become my favorite book to gift to people who are considering Christianity but have questions. 

• Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices (by Frank Viola & George Barna). This one is (because I am still listening to my library copy) a bit mindblowing for me. It reinforces many of the personal thoughts I've had about church practices and addresses so many questions - why and what for - but never knew there was a book to delve into the answers.  I added a Preview link to this one on the blog sidebar. I will leave it up for a while so folks can have a peek at the book contents.

I may already have talked about some of these books here before. Never hurts to reiterate.

By the way, some people don't know if their local library has audiobook available. Check via the Overdrive, Libby, and Hoopla apps. Those are the ones used by my library. 

Peace

--Free