https://youtu.be/lt1u81dQf2U
My friend Sean told me about this song. It pretty much describes what I've been wrestling with the pay few months. Thanks for sharing, Sean.
Keep soaring,
B
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Friday, July 3, 2015
I'm coming out (not how you think)...
My life as a Christian has not exactly been traditional. I've been through it all...times where I'm so sure I'm right that anyone else is wrong, all the way down to times where I've questioned if there was even a God to believe in. It's been a very hilly, very tumultuous journey, and I won't say that it's over. But at this point, I feel like it's at least hit some sort of equilibrium. The problem is that the equilibrium it's hit is not something that many of my mentors and some of my friends and loved ones would agree with. It's the kind of talk that I used to hear, shake my head, and think, "My, how the mighty have fallen." But, regardless, it's where I am now. And instead of cowering in shame for what I believe, in this season of openness, I think it's better to just own up to it and "come out."
I told my closest friends a while back that after my experiences serving as pastor in a small rural Baptist church in East Texas, I was going to do a complete mental flush of everything I thought about Christianity. And then, I was going to read the Bible, meditate on it, and start trying to piece together what I really believed about Jesus and the Way. I thought the journey would be exhilarating and enlightening, affirming what I had believed for years. Well, it was certainly enlightening, I can say that. But where it's left me...well, like I said, it's been a tumultuous journey.
All in all, after prayer, meditation, reading, conversations with trusted friends, and a lot of soul searching, all of my beliefs crumble down to this little list. Here it goes:
1.) There is a God. For me, there has to be. His existence is the very bedrock of my life. If I were to ever truly accept that there is not one, then I would have to go and shoot myself. Literally. Because if there is not a higher power that has designed this universe and given it a purpose, and in so doing also designed me and given me a purpose, then this world is far too painful to live through. The only reason to keep breathing is because I am part of something greater than myself. You can tell me all the scientific reasons where there MAY NOT be one. You can even tell me all the reasons why there IS DEFINITELY one. I don't care, because none of that has any bearing. Call me weak, call me simple-minded. You're probably true. But the only way I make it through the day is believing that there is a God, so I just can't not believe in Him.
2.) Jesus is the Son of God. Why? Because He said so, and there is no evidence that I have found to suggest that he was a liar or that he was insane. His teachings, though radical at the time, have become the basis for both religious and secular moral lessons ever since his time on Earth. In a world where every other religion is explaining what you have to do to earn your God's favor, Jesus was the only one that taught that God's favor was already earned. Other religions wanted your eyes kept skyward, while he taught that your eyes should be kept to the side...towards your neighbors. Even his harshest critics can't deny the importance of his teachings. For that reason, I believe He must be of God, and therefore his words and teachings must also be of God.
That was the easy part. Now for the harder stuff.
3.) Faith in Christ equals favor with God. Period. No "and," no "but," no "in addition to." Once you trust Christ to be your righteousness, then you are made righteous. There is nothing beyond that. You're not expected to do anything else. No baptism, no joining churches, no evangelizing, no "special quiet times with God." You can certainly participate in all of that, and there's nothing wrong with any of it. But none of it is required. The Gospel -- the Good News of Jesus Christ -- is that forgiveness of sins can be attained through faith in the crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus. If you add ANYTHING to that, even good things, then you are adding to the Gospel that Jesus preached.
4.) We are given one command: Love. Love God. Love people. Love God with everything that you are. Love people as much as you love yourself. That's the end all and be all of the New Testament. Every command the apostles gave, every teaching Jesus shared, every time anyone in any kind of authority in the Christian church gives any kind of instruction in the New Testament--it is always an application of the one central command that Jesus gave. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. "On these two hang all the Law and the Prophets." That means, as much as we love the Ten Commandments, they're outdated. As much as we love reading Paul for his specialized lists of behaviors and fruits and those who will and will not inherit the kingdom, it's all addendum and fluff. The only thing that matters is Love.
5.) The Bible is a collection of writings--writings of history, of poetry, of prophecy, and of theology--and they are writings of MAN, not of GOD. Certainly, there are parts where man wrote something because God said, "Write this down." But the entirety of Scripture is not God's memo to mankind. That was Jesus. He is the "Word of God," as described in John 1. Everything else was written to a specific people, during a specific time, for a specific purpose. We are not part of that time, people, or purpose. We certainly benefit from it. We can gain understanding if we study it. But we can also gain understanding by reading Luther, Calvin, MacArthur, Stanley, Olsteen, Meyer, and that little pamplet that the preacher wrote up last Sunday, among others. These men (and women) were also "inspired by the Holy Spirit," but no one is trying to add their writings to the canon. To ascribe divinity to the Bible would to be to turn it into a god in and of itself. That is idolatry. God, through Jesus, gave us one command: Love. The writings of the Bible are simply commentary on that one command.
Yes, I know, there are some major, paradigm-shifting implications to consider in believing what I've just written down. And if you want to--calmly, in love, and without resorting to insults and screaming matches--discuss these points with me, I'd be happy to do that. But the implications that I find most important are these:
1.) God and I are okay. I can finally stop constantly worrying if I've ticked him off in some strange, unknown way. I can rest in the finality of the cross and the power of the Resurrection, and let the worries of my sins be erased. I am free to love God and love my neighbor without worrying about how I may have messed up, because Jesus has already taken care of my mess-ups.
2.) Sin is anything that I do or don't do that is motivated by a love of myself over or instead of a love for God and/or others. That includes everything from stealing my neighbor's stuff all the way to not giving a homeless man aid "because he might buy booze with it."
3.) What sin is may change from person to person, depending on the situation. It isn't my job to keep up with other's sins. It's my job to keep up with my own. The only time I can justifiably tell someone else, "you shouldn't do that" is when it is genuinely born of a love for that person. If I can't say it in love, if it isn't motivated by a genuine care and concern for that person, I have no place to say it. I'm not a "fruit inspector." That's the Holy Spirit's job.
4.) My focus should be towards my neighbors. If I really want to please God, if I really want to make Him smile, then I need to take care of His creation, namely his favorite creation: mankind. That means caring more about how the symbols I wear affect other people than my right to wear them. That means caring more about whether or not my neighbors needs are met than whether or not our theology lines up. That means taking the time to teach my son that dark skin, gold teeth, and dreadlocks does not equal thug...it equals a different but beautiful culture. And, in light of recent events, it means baking the cake, even if it is for Adam and Steve. All because loving people is how the world is supposed to know that I'm a disciple of Jesus.
Like I said, I'm willing to discuss any and all points made here. Just please make sure the conversation remains in love. We've had enough finger pointing, fighting, and arguing. I've had enough of it. We need something different.
Keep Soaring,
Branson
I told my closest friends a while back that after my experiences serving as pastor in a small rural Baptist church in East Texas, I was going to do a complete mental flush of everything I thought about Christianity. And then, I was going to read the Bible, meditate on it, and start trying to piece together what I really believed about Jesus and the Way. I thought the journey would be exhilarating and enlightening, affirming what I had believed for years. Well, it was certainly enlightening, I can say that. But where it's left me...well, like I said, it's been a tumultuous journey.
All in all, after prayer, meditation, reading, conversations with trusted friends, and a lot of soul searching, all of my beliefs crumble down to this little list. Here it goes:
1.) There is a God. For me, there has to be. His existence is the very bedrock of my life. If I were to ever truly accept that there is not one, then I would have to go and shoot myself. Literally. Because if there is not a higher power that has designed this universe and given it a purpose, and in so doing also designed me and given me a purpose, then this world is far too painful to live through. The only reason to keep breathing is because I am part of something greater than myself. You can tell me all the scientific reasons where there MAY NOT be one. You can even tell me all the reasons why there IS DEFINITELY one. I don't care, because none of that has any bearing. Call me weak, call me simple-minded. You're probably true. But the only way I make it through the day is believing that there is a God, so I just can't not believe in Him.
2.) Jesus is the Son of God. Why? Because He said so, and there is no evidence that I have found to suggest that he was a liar or that he was insane. His teachings, though radical at the time, have become the basis for both religious and secular moral lessons ever since his time on Earth. In a world where every other religion is explaining what you have to do to earn your God's favor, Jesus was the only one that taught that God's favor was already earned. Other religions wanted your eyes kept skyward, while he taught that your eyes should be kept to the side...towards your neighbors. Even his harshest critics can't deny the importance of his teachings. For that reason, I believe He must be of God, and therefore his words and teachings must also be of God.
That was the easy part. Now for the harder stuff.
3.) Faith in Christ equals favor with God. Period. No "and," no "but," no "in addition to." Once you trust Christ to be your righteousness, then you are made righteous. There is nothing beyond that. You're not expected to do anything else. No baptism, no joining churches, no evangelizing, no "special quiet times with God." You can certainly participate in all of that, and there's nothing wrong with any of it. But none of it is required. The Gospel -- the Good News of Jesus Christ -- is that forgiveness of sins can be attained through faith in the crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus. If you add ANYTHING to that, even good things, then you are adding to the Gospel that Jesus preached.
4.) We are given one command: Love. Love God. Love people. Love God with everything that you are. Love people as much as you love yourself. That's the end all and be all of the New Testament. Every command the apostles gave, every teaching Jesus shared, every time anyone in any kind of authority in the Christian church gives any kind of instruction in the New Testament--it is always an application of the one central command that Jesus gave. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. "On these two hang all the Law and the Prophets." That means, as much as we love the Ten Commandments, they're outdated. As much as we love reading Paul for his specialized lists of behaviors and fruits and those who will and will not inherit the kingdom, it's all addendum and fluff. The only thing that matters is Love.
5.) The Bible is a collection of writings--writings of history, of poetry, of prophecy, and of theology--and they are writings of MAN, not of GOD. Certainly, there are parts where man wrote something because God said, "Write this down." But the entirety of Scripture is not God's memo to mankind. That was Jesus. He is the "Word of God," as described in John 1. Everything else was written to a specific people, during a specific time, for a specific purpose. We are not part of that time, people, or purpose. We certainly benefit from it. We can gain understanding if we study it. But we can also gain understanding by reading Luther, Calvin, MacArthur, Stanley, Olsteen, Meyer, and that little pamplet that the preacher wrote up last Sunday, among others. These men (and women) were also "inspired by the Holy Spirit," but no one is trying to add their writings to the canon. To ascribe divinity to the Bible would to be to turn it into a god in and of itself. That is idolatry. God, through Jesus, gave us one command: Love. The writings of the Bible are simply commentary on that one command.
Yes, I know, there are some major, paradigm-shifting implications to consider in believing what I've just written down. And if you want to--calmly, in love, and without resorting to insults and screaming matches--discuss these points with me, I'd be happy to do that. But the implications that I find most important are these:
1.) God and I are okay. I can finally stop constantly worrying if I've ticked him off in some strange, unknown way. I can rest in the finality of the cross and the power of the Resurrection, and let the worries of my sins be erased. I am free to love God and love my neighbor without worrying about how I may have messed up, because Jesus has already taken care of my mess-ups.
2.) Sin is anything that I do or don't do that is motivated by a love of myself over or instead of a love for God and/or others. That includes everything from stealing my neighbor's stuff all the way to not giving a homeless man aid "because he might buy booze with it."
3.) What sin is may change from person to person, depending on the situation. It isn't my job to keep up with other's sins. It's my job to keep up with my own. The only time I can justifiably tell someone else, "you shouldn't do that" is when it is genuinely born of a love for that person. If I can't say it in love, if it isn't motivated by a genuine care and concern for that person, I have no place to say it. I'm not a "fruit inspector." That's the Holy Spirit's job.
4.) My focus should be towards my neighbors. If I really want to please God, if I really want to make Him smile, then I need to take care of His creation, namely his favorite creation: mankind. That means caring more about how the symbols I wear affect other people than my right to wear them. That means caring more about whether or not my neighbors needs are met than whether or not our theology lines up. That means taking the time to teach my son that dark skin, gold teeth, and dreadlocks does not equal thug...it equals a different but beautiful culture. And, in light of recent events, it means baking the cake, even if it is for Adam and Steve. All because loving people is how the world is supposed to know that I'm a disciple of Jesus.
Like I said, I'm willing to discuss any and all points made here. Just please make sure the conversation remains in love. We've had enough finger pointing, fighting, and arguing. I've had enough of it. We need something different.
Keep Soaring,
Branson
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)