Liberal bogeyman

I'm taking a day off from spiritual topics to discuss insanity.

For whatever reason it is, every once in a while I listen to Glen Beck or Rush Limbaugh. I should really stop this. Today I had Limbaugh on and he epitomizes idiocy. Him, and people like him, have their minds made up on truth and no matter what facts come out, they insist this truth is real and everyone else is a liar. Stephen Colbert called this “truthiness.” It's truth you know in your gut no matter what facts might say.

Now that Scott McClellan has come out saying the Bush administration knowingly and willfully deceived the American people to sell the invasion of Iraq. Rush is now saying Scott was “never any good” and he was a “wussy” and that's why he was fired (after 33 months on the job that's hard to believe). He's accusing the former Press Secretary of being a liberal, or possibly influenced by liberals.

And this is par for the course. When facts come out from a White House insider about how business was conducted, it is a lie made up by liberals. It doesn't matter if it was Richard Clarke, David Kuo, or any of the other several ex-Bush White House members who have publicly criticized the administration's actions.

There are liberals under every rock, in every place always corrupting every conservative. According to Limbaugh they even control our language and calls the conservatives to reclaim language that the liberals use to brainwash America.

This is why it's so hard to listen to this man. This is why I can't take him seriously. He would never once question the President or his administration and anyone who says otherwise is a lying liberal. He believes liberals do nothing but lie. Any time a conservative criticizes his truthiness he automatically writes that person off as a liberal in Republican clothes.

Today he even claimed that there are no conservatives in high public office because the liberals control Washington and if you want to remain in office you have to sell out your own mother to stay there.

It's like the Illuminati conspiracy except the Illuminati aren't reptilian, they're liberals. The way this man talks about them you might think they were reptilian too! They control the media, the government, the minds of 95% of the world, the UN, the enemies of the UN, the Venezuelans, the Colombians, the Californians, the New Yorkers, and everything that isn't Rush, EIB or dittohead. He's an insane, unstable person who can't be trusted.

I was going to attempt to show a liberal talking head who is equally as crazy as Rush, but I can't find anyone who thinks there is a conservative under every rock. They might think conservatives are all inbred idiots, but I can't think of any who actually think there is an abstract truth that cannot be challenged by facts or testimony. I can't find any who don't accept that everyone, no matter how much power they control, are above criticism.

I'm not trying to say liberals are right and conservatives are wrong. No, that's a much too simplified, binary thing to say. What I'm saying is Rush Limbaugh is insane.

21st Century Picture Bible

When I was in Poland, a Christian-anarchist group from the Chech Republic called Godarchy was giving out a booklet called OBRAZKOWA BIBLIA XXI WIEKU ("21st Century Picture Bible" in English). It was a photo-copy thing, and I took it and made it color and pretty - I added a few passages as well. It's somewhat offensive, I just think it's a way to get ideas and dialog moving. (Click the label on top to download.)

Note: This is not part of my 21St Century Christian Fellowship series.

Identity in peace - blessed are the peacemakers

I have heard some say that peacemaking is done through violence. That a strong military that quells evil is making peace.

Let us then view Christ's words, "blessed are the peacemakers," in this light. Is Christ really saying, "blessed are the warriors, for they bring peace through coercion?"

At the time of Christ's earthly ministry (excusing the misnomer), Rome had what was called Pax Romana, or "the peace of Rome." This peace was brought on by fighting rebels, destroying dissent, and expanding the borders. Within the Roman empire, the soldiers protected traffic lanes and made it safe to travel the world without fear of armed robbery.

This same peace is what every fascist dictator claims, and in many cases achieves. In fact, the Emperors of Rome were very much like dictators we see today; expansionist, heavy-handed, and self-serving despots.

So is this the peace Christ favored, or is it the shalom that reconciles all things, and places all things in their proper order as ordained by God, creator of the universe? Is it the "ministry of reconciliation" that all Christians are called to, making friends of enemies?

Or maybe when Paul said, "be at peace with all men" he really meant "kill everyone that would lord over you" as we call our nations to do in order to preserve peace.

A fundamental problem

The desert sun high in the sky failed to keep anyone off the sweltering streets. It was the way of life for everyone in this bustling city. But in recent days, things were different. For many Christians, there was fear. After a church leader was murdered, there wasn’t a safe place in town. The Christians were being hunted down and thrown in jail, or even killed.

The government of this small middle-eastern country was controlled by very strict religious rules; enforced by unforgiving religious leaders. Their task force was headed by an extremely devout and fundamental man – "enemy number one" to the church. Every day he went from door to door bursting into homes seeking any Christians within.
This doesn’t seem to trouble us, as he’s off in a distant country – but now it’s getting a lot closer to home. He’s been given orders to come here, to this country – even to this city.

I’ll get back to this story in a moment, but first I want to challenge you. It’s simple to sit in our comfortable, suburban-American homes and think nothing can touch us. It’s easy to think about some of our own ideas and the way our relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ, should shape how we think, and how we act – how we empathize.

The questions I’m bringing is this: imagine you’re in the story I just told and he’s coming your way. What would you do? How would you act in this situation?
Of course as Christians, to answer this we first ask ourselves what Jesus would do. Yes, it is cliché, but that is our goal – to be like Christ. We answer this hypothetical question in kind, but the implications should affect the way we posture our lives. The Christian outlook is radically different than that of the world (Romans 12). Jesus said if we hate in our heart, we’ve committed murder.

Oftentimes in Christian circles we call ourselves "pro-life." But how real is this label? The meaning behind it – the rhetoric and pamphlets all say the same – is that we value life above all. So then: how much is life worth?

It has been said life is priceless, but don’t our actions and ideas seem to place a price on life? It’s innumerable how many times I’ve seen or heard where an idea or an item was worth more than a life, or even many lives.

People have got to have a huge price tag on them if God himself would suffer and die for us (Romans 5:6). Jesus taught us to love our enemies, and to do good to them (Luke 6:27). Do we take Him at his word, or write off these irrational words as lunacy? We must seek, each one of us, for the Christian answer to this. It has got to be dramatically different than the philosophy of the world. People every day are killing over property, killing for ideas, and killing for fun. Shouldn’t our Christian perspective be more loving, forgiving and merciful? Jesus taught us that we are forgiven by the measure we forgive and he also said that the merciful are blessed. If Jesus died for everyone, and we’re taught all are equal in the sight of God, should we not love also, as Christ loved us and died for us? We were God’s enemies, opposed to Him and his ways, until the Son of God died for us… Shouldn’t the Church, the Body of Christ, passionately love others from His example? To suffer love that changes hearts and minds is imperative? What will our life look like when we take Jesus at his word?

The shades are drawn on the window letting sparse light into the stuffy room. Dark shadows, like marionette puppets, dance across the floor. There you kneel in prayer, troubled by the news that this Christian-killer is headed for your town. Sweat beads gather on your forehead and cut their path down your cheeks. You desperately need strength from God to decide the course of action.

“He’s looking for you.” You hear a voice. Panic grips you. “Go to him.”

“What? Are you crazy?” you think to yourself, “he is commissioned to kill us … me!”

“Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my Name before the Greeks and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

In this story you were Ananias and the Christian-killer was Saul, later to be known as Paul. You can read the story in Acts 7-9.

How much are you willing to suffer for Christ?

The fallibility of people

The Bible is infallible, but the characters in the bible are not. We can all agree on this. What we may look at is if these actions are used to mold our worldview when we are unsure of if they are a right action or not. We have biblical characters that lie, kill, steal, war, etc and we are not told if these are right actions or not. If we compare them to biblical law, they are wrong actions.

Can we also do this with language? Job's friends say a lot of things, but they're wrong. God is right. How many times does a character, like Joshua for example, say something about God or about how to live that is wrong?

Bear with me again for I am "thinking out loud."

How do we know which actions taken by certain individuals in the scriptures are something we should emulate?

A couple examples are in order here.

David took the foreskins from two-hundred Philistines. This was a dowry, not a deed God called him to accomplish. Was he right in his action? How do we support the rightness or wrongness of this? Should we then be free (acquiescing to its rightness) to act accordingly?

Rahab lied to the leaders of Jericho, neither respecting their authority over her and breaking the law of God commanding to not lie. This is not said to be a right or wrong act in scripture. Is it then OK to lie and dishonor rulers? How do we judge its rightness or wrongness and how do we defend either opinion? If it is right, do we then take all of God's Law as subjective to any given situation? Is His law relative? And if we do judge we can break the Law in some situations, against what law of morals do we compare the act of breaking it? If it is wrong to lie according to God's Law, what law is is higher than His Law to which we appeal to break God's Law?

One example of a theologian who deal specifically with this issue is Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Being a German under the rule of Hitler, he struggled with his action in accordance with God's Law. He finally concluded that he would sin to oppose Hitler by force, but he would be willing to sin and incur God's wrath to save lives.

Alistair Begg, explaining the rightness of Christ to heal on the Sabbath, said a Biblical principal set in this act showed any law that hinders life or the preservation of life may be broken for this purpose citing the words, "Would you not pull a mule from a pit on the Sabbath (rough paraphrase)?" This is a principle which is not explicit in the scripture but may be implied.

As you can see, I don't really have answers in this discussion, but I have a lot of questions.

Identity in poverty - blessed are the poor in spirit

We must desperately seek to be poor in spirit. When we have much, and we are focused on our own needs and our own lives, we think everything we have is earned of our own works, or owed to us because of who we are. When we have nothing and seek nothing, all we are given is more than enough and we can share this freely with one another. And truly, dear brothers and sisters, we are poor. We have nothing to offer our Creator, and we can give Him nothing. But in our spiritual poverty, he has filled us in His pleasure to be overflowing. We cannot take his grace and horde it for ourselves, we must share his grace with others. We cannot keep His forgiveness in jars in the basement, we must take it to others who are spiritually starved. We cannot live in our comfortable homes in our comfortable lives without all of our blessings given freely away. We cannot go on in this life accepting everything and giving nothing. Dare I say it is spiritual constipation?

Because we have received such great a love we cannot contain it, we must share this love with others. We can say "those in need," but who is not in need of grace? Who does not need the love God shared with us? How dare we keep it to ourselves!

When I read the scriptures I find our Savior lived a scandalous life. He had lunch with capitalists and tax men. He shared dinner with whores and homos. He stopped off for coffee with rebels and vagrants. Our Lord, the Creator of all, shared a sandwich with the sick and dying, and a drink with the political powers, outcasts of society, and ethnic enemies. This is a daring life to be sure (it did kill him after all).

It seemed as if everywhere he went, Jesus was eating with someone. Always at some one's place breaking bread. Our church fellowships certainly carry on this tradition with potlucks and banquets. But there is so much more to this than we know. In that culture of 1st Century Palestine, a meal was an invitation to a deeper relationship, and equity. When two men broke bread together, they were equals, and they were sharing their lives with one another. The symbolism is deep.

Then Jesus went and messed things up. He said that when we have a party to invite the poor and oppressed. Go out to the streets and find the hungry and bring them in for your luncheon. This is an invitation for us to relate with the poor and oppressed. This is bringing the poor onto our level, but more importantly bringing our haughty selves down to their level.

We must be careful with this last point, and I will emphasize it once more: We are not simply bringing the poor into the fold of the rich. We are not counting the oppressed in the ranks of the oppressors. We condescend from our place of wealth, from our identity as oppressor and become poor, become oppressed.

Christ Jesus lowered himself from the high place of authority in Heaven down to the level of sinful man. Our example for life did not grasp at his rightful place of power; he humbled himself and master became servant (Philippians 2:5-8).

We should not bring the poor/oppressed to the level of the rich/oppressor. We need a new world where neither designation exists. Slave/free, poor/rich, Jew/gentile: Christian.

The Church talks about helping the "poor." That very term is levying a wall of separation between two worlds. "Us" the church; "them" the poor. When the church can identify with the poor, and become poor themselves, we have equity and mountains are brought low and valleys are raised high (Isaiah 40:4). And all nations stream to the great mountain of Zion and learn the laws of the King of kings (Isaiah 2:2, 3).

And the challenge is not in the understanding, but in the practice. How do I, as a white, male, Christian, middle-class American identify with the black/brown/red, female, Muslim/Buddhist/tribesman, poor foreigner? I identify by my very being as "oppressor" in everything I am. And I hear Scripture screaming at me that Jesus condescended to the lowest level: the Samaritan, adulterous woman and identified with her where she was. This is a great challenge I may struggle with my whole life.

Unity of the Church in spite of politics

I have this problem with "progressive" Christians as much as I do with "conservative" ones. While the right may have Ann Coulter and Michael Savage who blatantly insult people with vitriolic language and childish behavior, the left's overall language towards conservatives is always subtly veiled with innuendo and spite.

The left needs to seriously lay off the straw-man attitudes towards conservatives. Conservative talk show listeners don't do exactly what they're told. They're smart people just like the progressives.

The Church needs to seriously get back together and agree with one another. We're not different, we're just looking at things from different perspectives.

Progressives talk a lot about a "prophetic voice" speaking into the political climate concerning poverty and justice. This is an important issue that has been ignored by the Church over the years, but at the same time we shouldn't be attacking our brothers and sisters in the Lord who are also speaking prophetically concerning the sins of sexual immorality and abortion.

Both sides do need to make sure it is just a prophetic voice and not try to shove any agenda into politics and say "tis thus or naught." Rather we should speak in a unified voice to the nations of the world, "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand." Turn from your wicked ways, your idolatry, your sexual perversions. You oppress the righteous and the poor, you ignore the plight of the widow and the alien. The good news has arrived, and it is forgiveness of your sins!

Evil Empire: The rule of man

I was just listening to R.C. Sproul's podcast titled "The Evil Empire" in the "City of God - City of Man" series (on the link there it's called "Why do Nations Rage?"). In this series he started with Cain and through Babel and is explaining how there is a "cosmic war" between God and man. In this latest installment he explained the institutional rebellion against God by man. This begins with Babel how man came together in defiance of God to create a city dedicated to man's achievements. From the text, there is no one man that is to blame bu it is the institution set up by a variety of men.

Bear with me because I am simply thinking out loud.

In Christ's wilderness temptation we note that all the kingdoms of the world are ruled by Satan (Matt. 4:8). We also see Satan referenced as the "god of this world" and the "god of the air" (Eph. 2:2). Our adversaries (though flesh and blood) are principalities and powers (worldly kingdoms) and spirits in the dark realms (Eph. 6:12). We can also go back to 1 Samuel 8 where we see that Israel's call for a king is called idolatry, and a rebellion against God's rule.

In light of this I return to Sproul's lecture, which comes from Psalm 2.

Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the LORD
and against his Anointed One.

"Let us break their chains," they say,
"and throw off their fetters."

From this he continues on to say the institutional nations of the world have banded together - not individual people - to come against Israel in this instance but against the Messiah in its prophetic reading. They "throw off" the rule of God and "break the chains" of His law.

So I'm listening to this and thinking, with all those other verses popping in my head, about the relation to government today. If the institutionalized government and rule of man is rebellion to God, and this is true of all nations under the influence of Satan, how does the Christian relate?

The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.

Then he rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

"I have installed my King
on Zion, my holy hill."

The Psalm continues to say God laughs at the futility of man's rebellion and affirms His King (the Messiah) is established in Zion and will never be shaken.

This then reminded me of Isaiah 2 and Micah 4 (quoting the latter).

In the last days
the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established
as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills,
and peoples will stream to it.

Many nations will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths."
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

This King is in Zion, and he is King of Kings (chief among mountains), and all nations are included (people will stream to it). This King's nation spans borders and covers all men subject to all kings and rulers. This is a kingdom not of this world.

This Kingdom is established in Heaven (Zion) by Jesus, the Son. This Kingdom's citizens are Christians, and they are from all nations. And how do they relate to the institutionalized nations of the world?

He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.

Every man will sit under his own vine
and under his own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the LORD Almighty has spoken.

All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods;
we will walk in the name of the LORD
our God for ever and ever.

Jesus reconciles us, in Him, to one another. Former enemies are now friends. We will be peaceful, readying for harvest not for war. We will lead quiet lives (1 Thess. 4:11), not fearing for our lives (Matt. 10:28). And though others will serve their own interests and find their security in their vain governments, we find our security in the Kingdom that has no end.

All authorities

Giving the American interpretation of Romans 13 to Iraq:

1 Everyone must submit himself to Saddam Hussein, for there is no authority except that which God has established. Saddam Hussein has been established by God. 2 Consequently, he who rebels against Saddam Hussein is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For Saddam Hussein holds no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of Saddam Hussein? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4 For Saddam Hussein is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. Saddam Hussein is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to Saddam Hussein, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for Saddam Hussein is God's servant, who gave his full time to governing.

Romans 13:2-6

The Gospel is communal

When I hear of Christians or the world at large talk about "cults" it is usually talking about a group of people who have withdrawn from the world or have otherwise disengaged in "normal" activities. I find it amusing that we find this kind of activity so weird when we've been called to exactly that.

No, I'm not talking about specific ideas, not vindicating any or all "cults." What I'm talking about is Christ called us out of the world to be set apart. He called us to a new way of thinking, of living. When we live exactly like the world except we listen to different musicians, we go to Church and TiVo the football games instead, when we give a portion of our income (if we're real "good"), don't drink or smoke - and that's what a Christian life is ... really, that's the radical way of life Jesus called us to?

I heard criticism within the Church after the shootings in Colorado at the YWAM base and the mega-church. Some people said YWAM was a cult because the people who join it tend to not own much, they don't participate in most regular frivolous activities and they go on trips and arrange events. So our own Church looks down on Christian living as if its weird. We've gotten really good at taking the teachings of Christ and of his Apostles and twisting them into our pagan way of life. When Christ said, "Turn the other cheek" we say it only applies to verbal abuse. "Love your enemy" means those you disagree with in the Church body.

One specific text I want to bring up and give a call to action is in 2 Corinthians 8:13-15.

"Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: 'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.'"

What is this about? Equality with whom? In this case it is with our brothers and sisters in the Lord, the Body of Christ. This passage quotes from Exodus 16 where God supplies manna to the Israelites in the desert. Those who gathered much had just enough and those who gathered little also had enough. There was enough to go around. Similarly, God has given us each enough to go around. Some have been given little, and some much. Some have so much they don't need it all, and some have not a lot at all. Paul implores the Corinthians to share with those in their time of need, and when they are in need they will receive in return.

This is clearly a well-ignored biblical teaching.

I don't believe in tithe. In Deut. 14 the tithe is clearly used as a communal service - a party if you will. The quote no pastor wants you to read, "exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish." This celebration of giving was to go to the Levites (who ran the temple), the alien, orphan and widow. But clearly Jesus called us to give 100% of ourselves to God. "Give to Caesar what is Caesar and to God what is God's." When the Apostles took the Gospel to the gentiles they removed all requirements of the law except for eating blood, meat sacrificed to idols, things strangled, and to stay away from fornication. Tithe was not in this. What was taught was this communal giving. One of the signs of the Pentecost was the believers having all things in common.

So I took a very long time to get to this point. I have things others don't that I want to make available to every believer. I want to give everything I have and everything I am to the Body of Christ. Why complain about not having community without intentionally living it? Will it just come about if we don't do it?

More theology here, but talk about the Eucharist here. The manifestation of the Body of Christ here on earth when believers are gathered in "two or three" in communion. Imagine Christ literally working through his transubstantiated body here on earth to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless. Perhaps we can be on the side of the Sheep when He comes in judgment through His grace and mercy on our lives.