Do We Have The Power To Kick God Out?

The following are statements that have been made by Christian leaders over the past week:

"I think God would say to us, 'Hey, I'll be glad to protect your children, but you've got to invite me back into your world first. I'm not going to go where I'm not wanted. I am a gentleman.'" – Bryan Fisher

"We ask why there is violence in our schools, but we have systematically removed God from our schools. Should we be so surprised that schools would become a place of carnage?" – Mike Huckabee

In the midst of grief and tragedy, it never fails. We always look to who we can blame for such an event. For these people, they blame our culture for “removing God” from the classroom as the reasoning for such an atrocity. Of course, that doesn’t explain why in 1927, before public prayer was banned from most schools, a man in Michigan beat his wife to death, lit his farm on fire, then proceeded to blow up the school and himself with explosives. To date, it is still the deadliest school killing on record in the United States – 38 children, 2 teachers, and 4 other adults.

So really, is the lack of school prayer then to blame for school tragedies? Or is it yet another part of our sinful human existence and our natural propensity to perpetrate violence upon ourselves? A problem that dates back to Cain and Abel and is a running theme throughout the entire Old Testament.

But we like to try and blame. If we can't blame God's absence in our schools, then maybe we should we blame the NRA and those who are against gun control legislation. Or should we blame the American culture as a whole that perpetuates and glorifies this kind of violence in our games and movies? Should we blame the schools for not having better security? Shall we blame the man who killed his mother, stole her guns, and then went on this murderous rampage? Shall we blame the kids and people of Newtown who apparently didn’t give Mr. Lanza the attention and consideration he felt he deserved? Should we blame our lack of adequate mental health care in this nation? Should we blame the parents for how they raised their children?

There seem to be a lot of targets for our anger and attempts to make sense of the senseless.

The blame game is one we are fond of. It started in the Garden of Eden. Adam blames Eve: “She told me to.” No, wait, says Eve, “the serpent told ME to, so it’s his fault.”

Some blame might be legitimate. Indeed, there are many things as a society we could change to help prevent this kind of atrocity from happening again. (Of course, the thing that needs changing the most is the human heart... and I hear God's still working on that one)

But stating that we’ve “removed God” from our schools is one of the more problematic places to lay blame for me. All I can ever think is “My, what powerful beings we’ve become when we accomplish the ability to remove God from our schools.”

Because last time I checked, we didn’t have a lot of control over where God decides to show up. How his Spirit moves or where it blows.

You can remove prayer from a public school, but lack of public prayer does not negate God’s ability to still be at work in those places. I grew up never praying publicly in school. I did grow up praying at home and in church. Funny thing – I still tended to pray a lot while at school. (Probably not for the things I should have been praying for – helping me ace a test I hadn’t studied for probably wasn’t big on God’s “to do” list. But, nevertheless, I prayed. A lot.)

So the idea that God “doesn’t go where he is not wanted” to me is preposterous. If God didn’t venture into those places he wasn’t overly welcome, God wouldn’t go anywhere. Because at our core – we don’t really want God that close to us, no matter who we are or where we are. Distancing ourselves from God is kind of what we do as humans. It’s a part of our problem with our relationship with God – there’s this huge gulf between Him and us caused by sin. Christ came to redeem and reconcile humanity and the world back to Himself. Yet, standing in his immediate presence is a future reality that fills us with both hope and trepidation.  Hope, because we know that is where we ultimately belong and where God desires us. Trepidation, because we still continue to fear the presence of this God that we shove away whenever He gets too close. Because God doesn’t act like us. God doesn’t think like us. God doesn’t operate like us.

In fact, Christmas is all about God breaking in on a world that did not want Him. Because Christ came not so that our world could continue on as before, but He came to actually change things - things we don't necessarily, even in this country, want changed. He came to change how we operate as societies and cultures. Christ came to raise up the humble, the poor, the sick and the destitute, and bring down the rich and the powerful.

Christianity survived not because prayer was forced upon them in public school, and not because people demanded certain language and terminology surrounding a holiday that has come to celebrate consumerism, greed and material gain. (All the things Christ was fighting against.)

It survived because the message was counter-cultural, and because Jesus represented something different than what the rest of the world had to offer. Something that was welcomed by the slaves, the poor and the destitute. Not something that was embraced, at least initially, by the powerful and mighty.

When I look at scripture, I don’t see God getting angry at a nation because its public schools have opted not to publicly honor that God in a nation that is growing ever-more diverse in its beliefs.

Rather, what I see when I read scripture is a God who gets angry over violence and injustice, the wealthy taking advantage of the poor, the strong and mighty trampling the weak. When the little known prophet of Habakkuk wants to know why God is allowing Judah to be destroyed by the Babylonians, God’s response is not, “You removed me from your schools, so I’m destroying you.” Instead He said the following:

“Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on? Will not your creditors suddenly arise? Will they not wake up and make you tremble? Then you will become their prey. Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them. “Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin! You have plotted the ruin of many peoples,  shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice!” – Habakkuk 2:6-12

If God is actually “punishing America,” I have a feeling it has less to do with prayer in our public school systems, and more with how our society and culture functions as a whole. Given the mantra these days is America is a “Christian nation,” it makes me then wonder why do we continue to have the problems we do if that entire 75% of self-proclaimed Christians actually lived their lives according to “Christian principles”? If we truly lived as God wanted us to, poverty, greed, injustice – all these things would not exist - or at least would be on a smaller scale than they are.

Yet we are sinful people, therefore – these problems continue to exist. The meek and the lowly are not being lifted up. The powerful and mighty have yet to be torn down. (See Luke 1, the Magnificat reading for this weekend) If we want to claim we are a Christian nation, those are the signs of a truly Christian nation. Not whether or not we have prayer in public schools. Because God is not interested in empty platitudes that are done just for the sake of religiosity.

“I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” – Amos 5:21-24

God’s not interested in having “prayer” for the sake of “prayer.” If you’re going to have it – it must be heartfelt and meaningful. And above all, it must then reflect the values of the God that we pray to.

So, before we get upset about not having prayer in school and pointing to that as the cause of our violence and problems, perhaps we need to take a closer look at our so-called “Christian nation” and see the plethora of planks in our eyes before we start pointing fingers at why something like this happened and presuming to speak for God.

Because bottom line is – God doesn’t need an invitation. He never has. He was not invited into this world, and in fact we killed Him precisely because we did not invite or want Him here. God does not give us the ability to “kick him out” of anything or anywhere. He shows up despite us and works His will even in the midst of our messed up and sinful world. When we attempt to kick him out, kill him, string him up on a cross - he resurrects and finds new ways to break into our world and our lives.

Halloween, Ghosts and... Christianity?

In May of 2010, I decided it was time to take a much-needed break after my first year of ministry work and took off for Philadelphia to go visit my long-time friend, Lisa. As I clamored into the backseat of her husband's SUV and got comfortable after my flight for the hour drive back to their house, we started listing off all the things that there were to do in Philadelphia. There were the typical things... the Liberty Bell, eating a Philly Cheese Steak, Independence Hall, museums... and of course, taking Ghost Tours, like out at the Eastern State Penitentiary, or going down to Gettysburg Seminary - yes, you heard me right, a haunted seminary. When I stated that hey, those ghost tours sounded cool, Lisa's husband turned in his seat, gave me an odd look, and went, "You don't really believe in ghosts and stuff, do you? You're like... a pastor! You're not supposed to believe in that kind of thing!"

While I appreciated the astute observation regarding my professional status (I am, like, a pastor), I had to giggle a bit about the perceived disconnect between the spiritual realm and a spiritual leader. Apparently spiritual leaders don't believe in the spirit realm? And, indeed, many Christians don't feel it's somehow "Christian" to believe in spirits and ghosts and things that go bump in the night. But as All Hallows Eve once again approaches this year - the question has been raised on more than one occasion - do Christians believe in ghosts and/or spirits? Is it OK to acknowledge some of the creepy, supernatural things that some claim to have experienced? Or what about those messages people many time receive after a loved one has passed? What is our "doctrine" regarding such occurrences? Does believing in spooks, spirits, and ghosts somehow make you less of a Christian? Or does it just make you superstitious and silly?

Before I answer that question, given the "spirit" of the season, perhaps a brief understanding of what exactly "All Hallows Eve" or "Halloween" is might be helpful in connecting the history of Christianity and our relationship to the "spiritual" realm.

Halloween & All Saints Day

November 1 is the celebration of what Christians call "All Saints Day" or "All Souls Day," a festival that's origins are mentioned as early as 373 AD in Antioch (though the date of Nov. 1 was not set until much later, somewhere in the 800's most likely, in order to coincide with the Celtic pagan harvest festival, Samhain - the beginning of the "dark half" of the year and a celebration of the dead as they moved into the cold, barren, dead winter months) All Saints Day was/is a celebration of all the saints/souls who had been martyred for the Christian faith as well as the more recently deceased faithful. The idea behind this festival was that the day of prayer helped move the spirits of the dead from this world (or in Catholic teachings, from purgatory) to the next world. The evening before All Saints Day was called "All Hallows Eve," (or, "Halloween") a night in which the spirits were active and in some traditions, allowed to seek vengeance for their martyrdom before moving on to the next life (though this particular belief obviously is not adhered to by most Protestant faith traditions). In pagan beliefs, the celebration of Samhain parallels this Christian celebration closely as a night in which the doorway between the two worlds is opened and the spirits were allowed to roam in our world. The souls of dead relatives were beckoned to attend and a place set at the table for them.

In churches throughout the world today, we still celebrate "All Saints Sunday" by ringing bells and reading off the names of those who have died over the past year and some ceremonies call for people to light a candle in remembrance of the deceased.

So given Christian practice has incorporated a belief in the spirit world and its movement and relationship to the world of the living for at least 1700 years, what does scripture itself have to say about the issue?

Ghosts & The Bible

Many see the belief in ghosts and spirits as somehow being anti-Christian, or just plain silly, yet scripture actually has quite a bit to say about the matter. According to the Bible, the spiritual realm and the earthly realm are not as disconnected as we might think. Oh, I don't mean that Christians should be performing seances and lining up outside John Edward's door to talk to deceased loved ones (the medium, not the politician) - such practices were actually forbidden in the Old Testament (for a reason), but the Bible does make clear that there is a spiritual land of the "dead" that occasionally touches or crosses into our world. 1 Samuel 28 for example tells the story of how King Saul goes to the witch of Endor and asks her to call up the spirit of the prophet Samuel. She does so, bringing up a somewhat annoyed Samuel. (He was not at all pleased at being disturbed.)

Both Leviticus 19-20 and Deuteronomy 18 give warnings to the Israelites not to mess with the spirits of the dead - that it will defile them to do so. Throughout 2 Kings, many of the Kings of Israel and Judah ignored this prohibition and meddled in the world of soothsaying, augury, wizards and mediums. The prophet Isaiah asks the question, "When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?" (Isaiah 8:19) Isaiah's chastisement was not that the mediums and spiritists were not able to actually do what they claimed, but that to consult the dead made no sense when one could instead consult the living God of Israel.

The Hebrew understanding of where someone went when they died was "sheol," or "the grave," a kind of spiritual, shadowy underworld, a holding place for the dead that was separated from the presence of God. (Deut. 32:22; Psalm 6:5, 16:10, 30:3, 49:14, 86:13, 141:7; Proverbs 1:12, 7:27, 9:18, 30:16; Isa. 7:11, 14:9, 38:13; Ezekiel 31:16...there are 65 references in the OT, these are but a few) Sheol was similar to the concept of Hades, the Greek underworld, frequently referenced in the New Testament. This shadowy underworld of the dead is where Christ redeems us from. (Acts 2:27, 31; Rev. 20:13)

Thus the idea of "ghosts" and the ability for the land of the dead to encroach upon the land of the living are found scattered throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Isaiah 29:4 speaks of a "ghost-like" voice rising up out of the ground, and Jesus is mistaken for a ghost when he walks on water in Matthew 14:26 and Mark 6:49. He is mistaken for a ghost again at his resurrection (Luke 24:37) and has to explain how he differs from these spiritual beings, "Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." (Luke 24:39) Jesus does not negate the reality of ghosts or even correct the disciples by stating, "there's no such thing as ghosts" but rather draws a distinction between a ghostly being and the resurrected Christ.

And of course, there is the issue of demonic spirits possessing people and Jesus and his disciples having to exorcise them. But that's a whole other issue in and of itself.

The Bible itself does not give us clear explanations about the workings of the spiritual world and its impact on the land of living. Saul disturbs Samuel's spirit, but there are no accounts of "hauntings" so to speak... unless you want to count the demonic possessions.

Nor does the Bible specifically address the methodology of what happens to the spirit after death as we await the resurrection, or those spirits who have possibly lost their way or are sitting in the shadowy underworld. (Paul says those who have died are "asleep in Christ," awaiting the resurrection. In Revelation 6 the souls of the martyred cry out from under the altar of God awaiting redemption. Jesus tells the thief on the cross that "today you will be with me in paradise.")

So while the Bible verifies there are such things as ghosts and that the crossover between the two worlds happens - how that typically manifests itself is up for debate. The spiritual "whereabouts" prior to the resurrection is thus a matter of speculation. At this juncture, any talk of spirits and ghosts becomes conjecture and opinion. We have only the accounts of those who have experienced these "otherworldly" encounters.

So the following is my personal opinion and is not something I expect others to adhere to or believe. As a pastor, I will say I have spent a lot of time around the dying and deceased and have heard countless people describe encounters with deceased loved ones. In most cases the encounter is comforting. A loved one appearing in a dream simply to say they are okay, and that's usually the end of it. Some have been more intense and more disturbing, especially if the circumstances around the death were more violent or involved a suicide.

Given the door that is left open by scripture regarding ghosts and spirits, I have no reason as a Christian to dismiss these accounts. In most cases, these encounters are harmless. Some may be disturbing, but rarely dangerous.

While dreams and most "hauntings" are typically harmless, and cannot be controlled by us, taking it the next step -purposely trying to make contact - can. The prohibitions against using mediums and trying to contact the dead were put in place for a reason. Spirits do not belong to this world - they belong to God. Purposely meddling with those who have passed on may be inviting more than you bargained for. As Saul's experience proved, disturbing the spirits is not necessarily a good idea. So, leave the Ouija board behind.

Our Spiritual Lives Now - And In The Future

As Christians - we proclaim the resurrection. Our hope lies in the knowledge that we will one day be resurrected from the dead. But what about between now and then? What happens to our spirits? As I said earlier - whether we go to heaven, or wait in the realm of the dead, or are simply "asleep" is up for debate. So what can we say about this idea of spirits and ghosts and what that means for Christians?

When Jesus came to earth, his message was that the Kingdom of God had come near in Him. As Christians, we believe that our life with God and Christ begins now, in this world, in this life. It starts right here and right now. We prepare for life in God's Kingdom by living lives that reflect God's Kingdom - lives of faith, forgiveness, love and service to our neighbor. This life prepares us for the next life. What we cling to now - Christ - is what we cling to in the afterlife. Knowing God and Christ now prepares us for life with God and Christ later. Our new life with Christ begins as much in the here and now as it does after we die.

Unfortunately, many live lives that cling to this world and cling to worldly ways - anger, vengeance, resentment, greed, dishonesty, violence... when people cling to the harmful things in this life, they will probably continue to cling to those things in the afterlife. If such things are not permitted in God's Kingdom, then those who continue to spiritually cling to those worldly things, even after death, cannot enter God's Kingdom because they are still mired in the ways of the world, still clinging to earthly things. Still clinging to all their garbage.

My personal theological view: This could be the cause of hauntings and ghosts. Ghosts that haunt our world are spirits that cling to this world instead of embracing God's Kingdom. These spirits are not at peace, they have not accepted the new reality of God's Kingdom. They continue to haunt this world because they still desperately crave their old life, rather than the new life that awaits them. They reject what God offers in favor of the life they led here. They reject God's forgiveness in order to continue to hold onto their own grudges and animosity. For a spirit to be at peace, it has to "let go" of this world - all the hurts and harms that have occurred, all the perceived control and power they may have had. One has to allow all the sinful garbage we carry with us to be burned up and left outside the "heavenly" gates, so to speak. One has to let go of all the things that separate us from God. Let go of anger, hurt, resentment, violence, greed, etc. A spirit that haunts is a spirit that is not at rest, that does not know peace. That is why meddling with them can be so dangerous. A restless spirit carries with it the things that keep it out of God's Kingdom - things that are ultimately harmful.

So as we approach Halloween and All Saints Day, it is not only a time to think about those who have already passed, but to also reflect on our own preparedness for the life to come. What do we cling to now? Do we cling to Christ, or to worldly ways? Do we forgive, or hold grudges? What we do, say, and think now can have lasting spiritual consequences. Seek peace in this life, to have peace in the next life.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." - John 14:27

How Should Christians Revere Other Religions?

The day after we mourned and remembered the violent actions of Muslim extremists, our attention was once again drawn to the violent reactions in Libya and Egypt to an anti-Islamic film that has left 4 US Embassy workers, including the US Ambassador to Libya, dead.

These violent reactions of the Muslims in Libya and Egypt I will leave to the Muslims to address with their fellow Muslims. It is their faith and their responsibility to teach and correct if they believe there is cause to do so. I therefore am not going to write commentary on the use of violence in Islam, but I instead take to task my fellow Christians who incited the violence in the first place. Whether the reaction is being true to the nature of Islam or not is not the argument or the point here. This is about how Christians, in general, should treat people of other faiths, how WE should behave and react in the midst of religious differences.

While the person who made the anti-Islamic film that disparaged the prophet Mohammad in America has the right to do so according to our free speech rights, he did so claiming the Christian faith as his motivation and that's the part I take issue with. That is what I, as a Christian, call "foul" on.

In our zeal to proclaim the good news of the crucified and risen Christ, many believe it is also their task to disparage and "warn" about the dangers of other religions. In the process, they feel the way to carry this out is through scare-tactics and ridicule.

But are Christians called to do this? To out and out disparage other religions and their beliefs, mocking their most sacred elements?

Perhaps Jesus gives us a little insight into this issue.

Jesus' command was not to defile your neighbor or ridicule your neighbor and what he believed, but to love your neighbor. And who is my neighbor? (Believe it or not, this comes straight from scripture) Is my neighbor sometimes someone of a different faith? Someone I don't see eye to eye with? Someone I disagree with? Perhaps even someone that might want me dead?

The answer: Your most hated enemy and person who does not share your religious beliefs is your neighbor. In the case of the parable of the Good Samaritan (which is the story Jesus tells when someone asks him "who is my neighbor?"), Samaritans were hated by Jews. They were remnants of the northern nation tribes of Israel, they did not follow the Temple system of worship in favor of the "Sinai Covenant" made with Moses, rejected the Davidic covenant, had "defiled" themselves by marrying Gentiles, and had - shockingly - a religious perspective about God that differed from Judaism - yet claimed it was the same God they worshiped.

These are the people Jesus told us to love. You might say Muslims in many ways are to Christians as Samaritans were to Jews. Just as Samaritans rejected the Davidic King and all the messianic prophecies that came with it, Muslims reject Jesus as a savior and reject his divinity. Yet, Muslims still revere many of the same Biblical characters we do - Adam, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Joseph - and yes, even Jesus is revered as a prophet, though not as great a prophet as Mohammad.

We Christians disagree with Muslims on many fronts in regards to how all of these ancestors of faith should be viewed and interpreted. We disagree even on the very nature of God - Christians believe God entered into the human experience and got "messy" with the world. Muslims cannot fathom God ever doing such a thing, he is far too holy to ever bring himself down to our level.

But my disagreement should never result in the degradation and desecration of someone else's faith. Muslims may tell me I'm wrong in my understanding of Jesus, in some countries they may even oppress my right to follow Jesus as the Son of God and I might even be killed for it. Their attack may be on Jesus' followers, but the attack is rarely on Jesus himself. In fact, they have a high regard for Jesus. While they do not view him as the divine son of God, and in fact think Christians are polytheists and no better than pagans for this belief, you will not see them mocking or disrespecting Jesus Himself, because he is still a holy prophet of God in their eyes.

Do Christians take Moses and ridicule him so that we can show Jews where they're "wrong" because they continue to follow "the law of Moses"? Of course not. Why? Because we also view Moses as a holy prophet of God. We share this in common. We would never think of doing such a thing. Because Islam has a prophet we do not revere, that makes him fair game where the others are off-limits apparently.

Yet this is not how early Christians spread their message or engaged the non-Christian culture around them. This simply was not how the church functioned initially. In Acts 17, Paul was in Athens and was distressed by the number of pagan gods. However, rather than pulling down the gods or defacing them, or inciting a riot by attacking their places of worship, he instead "reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there." Reasoning and arguing about philosophy and theology is not the same as out and out disparaging another belief.

Now, this "reasoning" got him dragged to a meeting of the Areopagus - which was essentially a court of appeals. There he appealed to their religiosity. "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious!" He picked up on the fact that they had an altar with the inscription, "to an unknown god." He took that "unknown god" and reasoned with them that there was no need to worship something unknown - but to proclaim how God had become known through Jesus Christ.

There was no disparaging of the other gods. Paul's argument did not involve burning effigies of the pantheon or emperor. He respected their faith and their decision to either accept or reject his message, even if he felt it was misguided and wrong.

Today our job is no different. We are proclaimers of God's Word and Christ. We respect people's choice to either accept or reject that proclamation.

How incensed do these same Christians become when their own faith, their own view of God, is disparaged by atheists and other non-Christians? They don't like it much. They fight back - though their fight is usually verbal. (Though this has not always been the case historically speaking.) Many would argue that Jesus is fair game to be made fun of by a multitude of people. Indeed, He is. But does that mean we should respond in kind? "Do not repay anyone evil for evil." Just because someone mocks my God does not mean, as a Christian, I am supposed to do the same thing. We are called to be different. To not act the same way as the "Gentile" world (as Paul would have called it). To not allow such futility and hatred take over our actions and thoughts.

Ultimately Christians are not called to be fear-mongers and spreaders of hatred, but are called to be messengers of hope. Whether living in America or Egypt, my role as a Christian is the same - to profess Christ crucified and risen. This is how we are called to engage other faiths.

I am called to be humble.

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." - Micah 6:8

I am called to live in peace with my neighbor.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21) 

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy. (Hebrews 12:14)

I am called to speak the truth... in love.

"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ." (Ephesians 4:15)

While Islam can be a very difficult faith to engage because most Muslims believe they understand Jesus better than Christians do, the engagement should still always be focused on who and what Jesus is; what he accomplished through his death and resurrection. We can argue and disagree about this with Muslims - we can even argue and disagree about Mohammad - and in some countries, that may get a Christian killed. But that's on the followers of Islam who are choosing to be oppressive and choosing to interpret their scriptures the way many misguided Christians in the past chose to interpret their scriptures. Whatever actions they take against us for this disagreement is not on us.

Therefore Christians should never engage in these same oppressive practices. It's anti-thetical to our beliefs and our teaching. We teach freedom in Christ. Christ is the one who frees us from oppressive tyrants, governments, powers and principalities. Christ is who frees us from the consequences of not living up to the standards of God's law.

To mock and disparage a holy figure in Islam is not "doing what is right in the eyes of everyone." You want to warn of the perceived dangers of Islam? You want to engage a discussion about why you disagree with Islam? Fine. But as a Christian, you are called to do so with love and respect for your Muslim neighbor, to love him/her as yourself. To live in peace, as far as it depends on you, with everyone around you - regardless of your differences in beliefs. We are not called to take their holiest of prophets and degrade him.

I may not believe in the teachings of Mohammad. I may not revere the Qur'an as a holy book that came from God. But Muslims do. I don't have to agree with it. I can even list all the reasons I think its wrong. But I take my cue from Paul. "When the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility."

We need not resort to such harmful and disrespectful practices. Christ states we are to be known as his followers by our love - not our hate.

9/11: A Day That Changed Everything

Eleven years ago today I awoke to the sound of my phone ringing (yes, I was still in bed at about 8:45 am on a Tuesday morning - the joys of working from home for a company two time zones behind you). It was my mom, telling me I needed to turn the television on - one of the Twin Towers had been hit by a plane. It took me a moment to comprehend what she was saying, but I eventually managed to fumble around and find my remote and flip the television on. Moments later, I watched in horror along with the rest of the country as the second plane smashed into the South Tower. Not long after that, the Pentagon was hit as well. Then the rumors began - the Capitol had been hit, the White House, etc. It was pandamonium in New York and Washington, D.C. while the rest of the nation sat glued to their television sets.

There were a lot of emotions that went through me that day. Naturally, there was fear. Not just for myself, but for the friends that lived and worked in or around the WTC and the Pentagon. I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard from one of my friends who passed under the WTC every morning - she was at her school as a teacher on lockdown - but was ok. Then I heard from friends at the Pentagon. One was in a meeting on the other side of the building when the plane hit - but his office was struck and he lost almost his entire staff. Another friend had just been standing where the planes hit about two minutes earlier and was walking out another set of doors.

I would later become well acquainted with someone else who lost 39 of his co-workers that day as he sat on a plane and watched the fireball from the Twin Towers from his seat on an airplane on the way to Vegas to get married.

But of my personal friends - at that moment, it seemed everyone who was in Harm's way was OK... or so we thought - until we got word that a friend of ours from Kansas City, Randy, had been in a building next to the WTC and during the evacuation, was struck by a piece of falling debris when the second plane struck. He'd been on his phone with his wife following the first plane to let her know he was fine and was being evacuated. He said he would call when he got to wherever they were being evacuated to. He never called back. His phone was eventually answered by someone who had picked it up off the street. He hadn't even had time to put it away before being struck in the head. That day, a total stranger had seen to it Randy was taken to the hospital and stayed with him until his family arrived a few days later (which was it's own interesting tale trying to get into New York City in the days following 9/11). Randy remained on life support for two more weeks until they were able to transport him to Kansas City and have the machines removed.

The night before the funeral, we sat in the hotel room with his parents, and I remember as we talked about the events, his mother sat there and said, "I know God has a plan. That this will all be for some kind of purpose."

I also remember thinking, "That's a pretty crappy plan." But I admired the woman's steadfast faith. I wondered how, in the midst of that grief, anger and pain, she was able to remain so calm and so sure.

While Randy's death was indeed sad, and was intermixed with a nationwide mourning and grieving, I soon came to realize - my world had utterly changed. Not only had my world changed - but I had changed. While there was a period of bitterness and anger that permeated many of my thoughts, there was also the slow realization regarding how insecure our world and our lives really were. There was a realization that the world I had grown up in, the world I had come to know and been so sure of, was not the world of my future. Life was no longer about just doing my job, paying my mortgage, and having a little fun along the way. Life, I determined, had to be about something more. There was no security in that life anymore.

So on a trip to Los Angeles for work just a few weeks after the airlines began running again, I remember sitting on my hotel bed, watching the news, reading my Bible, and going - "What a messed up and scary world we live in." (Because in LA, pretty much the first ten minutes of the news is the violent death report). And in that same breath/thought, I went, "There has to be more to my life than sitting in a hotel room ordering room service watching the nightly death-toll." Surely in this  hurting world, I had something else to offer?

In 2001, the thought/idea of becoming a pastor was still a few years away - but the seed had been planted. (It still is sometimes a bit of  reality check to be honest) Part of my journey was mingled with the pain and confusion of trying to figure out what that possible "plan" Randy's mother talked about could have possibly been. Where was God and what was He up to with that terrible day?

It took time, but I eventually came to realize - as horrible as the terrorist attacks on 9/11 were, they were a drop in the bucket when you look at the atrocities committed on a daily basis throughout the world, of human suffering being inflicted by other humans, genocide being perpetrated on epic scales throughout many third world countries. Syria, Rwanda, Serbia/Bosnia, Liberia - I remember my first year of seminary sitting and listening to a classmate of mine from Liberia talking about how three times she had been the next in line to be shot by militants - and every time someone had stepped in and saved her. She had watched family and friends gunned down in cold blood, raped, abused and mutilated. And she wanted to go back. To bring the hope and light of Christ to her people so divided and damaged by civil war. Her world was a world I did not fathom - a world I barely knew existed. Sure, I'd heard about such things - but until you're face to face with the reality and its repercussions, it doesn't fully sink in. The tragedy of 9/11 opened my eyes up to the larger world and the problems that I had been so insulated and sheltered from for so long.

So while yes, my security was ripped away that day never to really return, my naive world-view was also ripped away - and that was not such a bad thing. I realized nothing in this world is secure or immune from the ravages of human-wrought evil. Trusting in governments, military, and political leaders was a misplaced trust. True security would come only from one place - God and God alone. Whether I lived or died, I knew that being secure in my faith was the only form of security that actually had any teeth. I could live in a world ruled by fear - or I could live in a world ruled by hope. I could be part of a people who reacted out of fear - or part of a people who wanted to move forward in hope. The latter eventually won out (though that was not without its struggles)

Does that mean I don't still have moments of fear? That I don't still worry that we could have another terrorist attack at any time? Of course not. It's merely a question of whether or not I let it rule my daily life and my actions.

Randy and 3000 other people didn't die that day just so I could have an epiphany regarding my life, the world and my faith. But as I have come to realize - God still utilized the opportunity to show me something else, to reveal a different path that he wanted not just for me, but a path he desires the world to take. "Love your enemy" was indeed a hard pill to swallow in the aftermath of such a terrible day, I can't argue with that. But hatred, anger and retribution don't seem to have gotten us very far as a people or a nation eleven years later. I don't even feel a strong hatred and anger toward Al Qaeda and groups like them anymore. When Bin Laden was killed, I didn't rejoice like I might have at one point. I only felt a certain futility and sadness for all people who are held captive by hatred, oppression and revenge.

Many today are saying "Never Forget" over social media - and indeed, it is a day not to be forgotten. The question is: as a day we will never forget as a people and a nation, how do we honor and remember those who were lost as we move forward into the future? More war? More violence? More emails that warn us about the dangers of Islam?

I admittedly don't have a lot of hope that any of our current political leaders or candidates hold the answer to help heal the wounds of our nation and world - they seem more interested in dividing us over issues of economy, religion, and social definitions. Perhaps that's because ultimately, that's a job for Christ - but as Christians, we have a role in helping bring about that healing. The "now and not yet" of God's Kingdom. Yet, we Christians seem divided over how that future shall come about. Allow the mayhem and bloodshed to continue as part of some "divine plan" or unite together as a healing presence in our world today?

As Christians, we have a vision that is strong in our faith and our consciousness. A vision where all nations stream to the mountain of God to be healed, a vision where the leaves of the tree of life are utilized not to destroy the nations of the world, but for the healing of the nations of the world. Where the old ways of war, death and suffering are wiped away and remembered no more.

I don't have the answers for how exactly we get there in a post 9/11 world - of how to properly deal with our economic issues, our foreign policies or how to even handle and respond to the surge in terrorist cells around the world.

But I do have a hope - and a promise - that we will one day get there. It may seem bleak right now with all the problems we face as a nation and a world - but it is what I continue to cling to and what I continue to work and strive for each and every day. No, I will never forget what happened on 9/11 - but I hope for a future where the fear of that day does not rule our world. I hope for a day when Christians can be united in a voice for justice and peace rather than known for hatred, hypocrisy, judgmentalism and division. Where "Love your enemy" and "Love your neighbor" is the overriding view of who and what Christians are about.

I know for me, that while remembering 9/11 still carries with it pain, grief, and sorrow - it also carries a hope that we are merely in the dark before the dawn. That God's "plan" is for eventual healing and good.

Why Should Christians Read the Old Testament?

I had the strangest question asked of me the other day - or at least, strange for me. I was asked whether during our worship services if we read only the Gospels. I said, "No, we read an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, an Epistle, and a Gospel text." Feeling pretty good about myself because we cover all aspects of the Bible, the response by this person somewhat shocked me. This individual went, "Why? The Old Testament was for the Jews, not Christians. You shouldn't be reading the Old Testament."

I admit, the statement stunned me. I mean, really stunned me. Don't read the Old Testament? What? How on earth could anyone think such a thing? But, there are apparently a large number of people who think the Old Testament was only for Jews and the New Testament is only for Christians, and that one has no real bearing on the other.

So why did this stun me? Because the Bible as a whole tells us such a rich story of how God has acted in the world, it would never occur to me NOT to read the whole thing. Now don't get me wrong - I understand how you can read just the New Testament and hear the gospel and not know the whole history that goes back for thousands of years with the Israelites and still have faith. The Good News of Christ's death and resurrection transcends a people and history. Knowing the "full" story is not necessary for faith in Christ.

And let's face it - if you try to wade your way through a book like Leviticus - you probably don't read any further. It's like reading a nation's charter. (YAWN!) Unless you're interested in the legalese of how a nation in the midst of a violent, tribal, kill-or-be-killed world that is intended to be God's representative on earth is to conduct and order themselves, you'll probably fall asleep a few times trying to get through it.

Yet... in the New Testament, Jesus himself engages those Levitical and Mosaic laws. "You strain a gnat but swallow a camel," is but one reference Jesus makes regarding the absurd way in which purity laws were being carried out in place of caring for the poor and the neighbor (also found in Leviticus). Love your enemy/neighbor was not a new insight from Jesus. It came directly from Leviticus 19.

Once you know about Jesus, how can you NOT want to delve into the whole story? How would you not want to know about the deep symbolic significance that is embedded throughout the New Testament that shows how all these things that happened in the Old Testament were leading up to Christ? I would find it hard to understand many of the points Jesus engages with the Pharisees and Sadducees if I didn't know the background of the issue they were "debating" - issues that can be traced back to the Old Testament scriptures. The questions Jesus gets asked are always directly related to Hebrew scripture and tradition. It's usually an interpretation issue. The Jews have always thought scripture meant this, while Jesus corrects and re-interprets the meaning for them.

Plus, understanding the Old Testament lends to further understanding and richness of faith, as the writers of the New Testament knew and understood. For instance, in Romans 9 alone, Paul quotes Genesis, Moses, David and Isaiah. That's just one chapter of one letter in the New Testament where four different Old Testament scriptures are utilized to talk about what God has done for humanity through Christ. The entire Book of Hebrews was written to talk about the Temple system in Jerusalem that had come before and been such an integral part of Jewish worship, and utilizes that imagery to describe how Christ is now the High Priest that intercedes on our behalf and how Christ IS the new Temple. From the High Priest to the Holy of Holies, Jesus embodies the entire system, moving worship from a place to a person.

To signify who He is, Jesus demonstrates His Godly power through the familiar Old Testament prophets - controlling the powers of nature, healing the sick and raising the dead - all are reminiscent of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. He links himself on more than one occasion to Moses, and claims Isaiah's prophecies were talking directly about Him.

Both Peter and Stephen in Acts give brief histories of the Hebrew people in order to help their listeners understand who and what Jesus is. How all the things that have come before through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and all the kings and prophets who followed, were leading up to how God was going to reconcile not just Israel, but the entire world, to Himself.

Israel was meant to be a holy nation that shared God's message with the surrounding nations. Their task was to be God's emissaries in the world, His chosen people that would bring all the nations of the world to Him, so that they could know Him. Israel failed in that endeavor, instead choosing to compromise their faith in order to adopt many of the neighboring nations' pagan practices, forsaking God and descending into the sins of their neighbors.

And most important - the Old Testament lays out for us God's vision for our world. It lays out his promises and his desires for all of humanity. If you read through Revelation 21, all you're going to find is a repeat of the promises made in the Old Testament over and over again. God tells Israel over and over if they would only follow his instructions - all the nations would stream to Jerusalem for healing and restoration.

The promises for Israel and our futures lie embedded in the Hebrew scriptures and find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. To ignore the Old Testament is to ignore the promises of God. And I gotta admit, I kinda like God's promises from the Old Testament. "I will turn their mourning into joy," (Jeremiah 31:8-13), "See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind." (Bet you thought that one was unique to Revelation - not so. Isaiah 65 said it first.) "On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations;he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.The Lord has spoken. In that day they will say, 'Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him;let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.'" (Isaiah 25)

That's just to name a few. Pretty cool promises that aren't JUST for the Jews or Hebrews. They're for the world.

Is it OK to Question God?

"Don't question God, just trust Him." I hear that statement a lot. Not a bad statement. Trusting God is at the core of any vibrant faith life. But does trusting mean asking no questions? Does it mean never delving into the deeper mysteries of ourselves, creation, and God?

Admittedly, if we can't ask questions, I'm in a lot of trouble. I spend my life asking questions. It isn't that I don't trust what I read or hear, it's that I don't trust necessarily whether or not I've heard and understood it properly. As they say - there's nothing wrong with God's Word. The problem lies in how we sometimes hear and understand it. So I ask questions. Are there other ways to understand this? Why doesn't this make sense? Why does this passage seem to contradict what is said in another passage? What other perspectives might someone else bring to the table? Is the way I understand it the way it was intended? Who is God talking to? What are the circumstances? Does this apply to me? Does this apply to my neighbor? Does this apply to my congregation? Does this apply to how I live my life in Kearney, Nebraska at the dawn of the 21st century? And of course - when things in my world tend to fall apart, or they fall apart for friends, or horrible tragedies happen somewhere in the world, I question the point, the reason behind it. Can I trust that somehow, someway, God will utilize the situation to work it for good? Sure. In the midst of that, can I still ask God what this is all about without being seen as one who falters in my faith?

Like I said - I have a lot of questions.

Some people think if we start to question things we've been taught, or things we've learned, or things we've read and heard that we're somehow being unfaithful to God. That we're not "trusting" Him enough.

While "blind faith" may seem like it is the most faithful way in which to pursue one's Christian life, is it how the faithful people of the Bible approached their relationship with the divine?

Perhaps the Bible itself can offer up some answers. Faithful people, page after page, story after story, spend an inordinate amount of time questioning God. Questioning his actions, questioning his justice and mercy, questioning what exactly it is he's doing.

Abraham questions God's justice and mercy when he decides to wipe out the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Will not the judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:22, 25) Abraham again questions God when he's told Sarah is going to have a child. "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" (Gen 17:17) Such questions from the man who is considered the "father of us all" faith-wise (Romans 4).

Or take Moses and his string of questions when God calls him to go to Egypt. (see Exodus 3. Moses even goes so far at one point to stop questioning and simply tells God, "send someone else.") Moses throughout the Torah actually spends a lot of time questioning and debating with God, especially when it comes to how to handle those ungrateful Israelites that are constantly complaining and grumbling against God for having freed them from captivity. At one point, God is ready to simply wipe them off the face of the earth and start the whole thing over with just Moses and his family, and Moses has to go, "Gee, God... that maybe wouldn't look so good to the neighbors. You free them just so you can kill them? Isn't that going to be kind of a bad message to send?" (That's paraphrasing, but read it for yourself. It's the general gist of the conversation. See Exodus 33 and Numbers 14)

Then there's Job. "Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment? Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?" (Job 24:1) Or Jeremiah: "How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered?"

Habakkuk was one of the most insistent of the question-askers: "How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you "violence!" but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong-doing?" (Hab 1:2-3)

God isn't one to get angry with the questions. He never says, "How dare you question me?" Now, yes, in Job's case, he responded to Job's questions with questions of His own, putting Job back in his proper place, but he did not get angry that Job had questioned why these things had happened. (God's response may seem a bit dissatisfying, basically stating, "I'm God, I created everything, so I can do what I want." But really, would you want to try and explain to Job that all his suffering was as a result of some bargain you'd made with Satan? Neither would I.) In fact, God gets more annoyed with Job's friends who try and offer up answers - wrong answers - about why Job is suffering. They try to blame Job - he must have done something wrong. God's annoyance is that they would try and act like they know what His motives and reasons are. There's an important message to the friends that I think many of us would be wise to take heed of when we try and definitively state God is doing or not doing something for this particular reason. Sometimes saying "I don't know" is the more faithful response.

Yet if you really want to know God's view on questions - let's look at Jesus himself. Not only did Jesus allow people to ask Him questions - he usually responded by simply asking another question. It's a rare day when Jesus gives a straight answer to anyone about anything. (In fact, he has to point out in some instances that he's actually giving a straight answer for a change. "So then he told them plainly: 'Lazarus is dead.'" - John 11:14, and "Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father." - John 16:25)

The amazing thing about Jesus, however, is how he engages conversation. As previously pointed out, he rarely gives a straight answer, but instead turns it around and asks questions like, "What do YOU think it says? How do YOU read it?" (see Luke 10:25-26). Or, "But what about you? Who do you say I am?" He wants to know what we think. He wants to know how God's word is being interpreted.

Jesus invites the conversation. He invites the questions and asks many of his own, "What do you think? How do you interpret this? What are your thoughts? What are other people saying?"

To question is to take part in a relationship with the divine. We may not always get the answers we seek, but faith grows and is renewed in the midst of the questions. Because when we question - we are in relationship. When we question - that means we're thinking through what God's Word is trying to tell us.

My own faith perspectives, viewpoints, and understandings change the more I question, the more I seek, and the more I enter into conversations with other faithful people. Is it wrong for viewpoints and understandings to change over time? Absolutely not. It's how we grow in our relationship with God. Faith and relationships both evolve over time. Nothing is static.

Questioning invites us to get to know God more intimately. Questioning allows us to have a real relationship. Would I consider it a real relationship with a friend if I'm not allowed to ask him/her any questions? No. It's how we discover things. It's how we grow in our relationship. It's how we get to know someone. How do we get to know Jesus? By the questions people ask of Him in the Bible. If no one had ever ventured to question, think of all the lessons that would have been lost. In fact, we could have probably used people asking more questions than they did.

So is it OK to question God? If we use the Bible as our guide in this matter, than the answer seems to be a resounding yes.

Noisy Gongs & Clanging Cymbals

As many know, I have a lot friends outside the whole "Christian circle" thing. Becoming a pastor was probably as much a shock to the majority of my friends as it was to me at the time. Yet, despite our differences in theological belief, I appreciate these friendships on a variety of levels. One of them is, if nothing else, to keep a pulse on how Christians are viewed by many of the non-Christians of the world. Many days - it ain't pretty.

For instance, one of my friends posted the following this past Sunday on her Facebook page:

"In the retail world Sunday means...when you're done being forgiven at church, go into as many stores as possible and be the biggest jerk you can be. Seriously it has happened every single Sunday at every single retail job I've had. Today was no different....I can't even begin to list the number of people who gave me problems, attitudes and spoke to me like I was a moron while still dressed in their church clothes. I should've just told them "is this how Jesus tells you to treat people? Cuz if he does you're doing a great job.""

Sigh. Perhaps this is an argument for not having stores open on Sundays? Because Christians just tend to come out of church all cranky and annoyed? (Which, in and of itself should cause us to go, hmmm...what's wrong with that picture?)

Now arguably, Christians are not perfect people. Not by a long-shot. We sin. We screw up. We have emotions like everyone else. Sometimes our emotions get the best of us and we do and say things that are extremely un-Christian-like. It happens. No one is immune from sin and anger.

But as you can see from my friend's posting - it isn't something occasional. It's a pretty regular occurrence by an easily identifiable group of people. We're most recognizable on Sunday because many still "dress up" to go to church. It's a good thing we're looking good sitting in a pew, because we can apparently be pretty ugly everywhere else.

This highlights one of the biggest problems facing Christianity right now - the behavior of Christians. It's a basic failure to connect what happens in the worship service with what happens in daily life. It's not a new problem, by any means, but is becoming an increasingly detrimental problem when it comes to how we continue to drive people further and further away from the church.

It would seem our perceived "inness" on account of our faith has resulted in something other than expressions of joy and thanksgiving that we take out into the world, but rather, rude, demeaning, condescending behavior that reeks of the kind of class and social division that Jesus spent his entire ministry fighting against. Many Christians have seemingly become the new class of Pharisees and Sadducees. The keepers of the moral and religious codes that looked good at the synagogues and Temple, but fell short when it came to actually treating their neighbors with love and respect. Whether their neighbors were the Romans, the Samaritans, the blind, the poor, the sick and infirm, or the outcasts - the religious "ruling class" usually wanted nothing to do with these people. They hid behind purity laws to keep from getting their hands "dirty" in the work of serving their neighbor. They were a club that included only particular people. A club that Jesus had harsh words for.

My friend's posting also reminded me of a conversation I had last week with a former soldier who had returned from Afghanistan. He told me how a Muslim friend of his had walked into a church somewhere in Europe just to kind of see what this whole Christianity thing was about. He walked in - and was immediately told to leave because he wasn't "one of them." Needless to say, this Muslim now doesn't care if he ever steps foot in a Christian-based place of worship ever again.

If worship has become about being part of a club, part of us celebrating our "inness" while ignoring - or worse, demeaning and excluding - the people outside our church doors... we've missed the whole point. We've missed what it means to be a follower of Christ. As both the prophet Amos and the Apostle Paul point out:

I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! (Amos 5)

 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13)

Faith is more than just professing what one believes. It is more than just showing up at church on Sunday mornings. Faith is a way of life. It is transformative. God's grace and love active in our lives means we live different lives. It's how we interact with the people and world around us. While worship services and religious ceremonies are an important part of one's faith life (worship is where we're fed and God's word and promises continue to be delivered to us) by themselves, they accomplish nothing if loving one's neighbor is not an integral part of that faith life. I can have all the faith in the world, as Paul points out, but if that faith does not move me to loving action - then what good is it? As James states, "Faith without works is dead." No, this is not works righteousness. It is about what faith actually entails. It's about what faith "looks" like. It's about what faith "is," and when faith doesn't involve caring about the things that concerned Jesus most, then what sort of faith is it?

"Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." (Matthew 7)

A lot of things get done in the "name of Christ," yet as this scripture points out, simply because you do things "in the name of Christ" doesn't mean you are actually a follower of Christ. Loving your neighbor, helping the poor and needy, breaking down class, social, racial, ethnic, and gender barriers - these were the things that concerned Jesus. Jesus never stated that the world will know we are his disciples by how much we try to "protect the sanctity of marriage," or how often we hold up signs telling the world who and what God hates. Rather, Jesus stated: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13)

Are Christians perfect? By no means. Do they always do the right thing? Of course not. Do Christians still sin? Have bad days? Not always act like they're supposed to? Focus on the wrong things at times? Sure. We're human. The Gospel message is that we are indeed forgiven of our flaws and sins. That all fall short.

That said, forgiveness is not a license to behave the way we do at times. It is not a license to treat the people around you - especially strangers - rudely or with disdain. How we carry ourselves matters. How we treat other people matters. Not because it's what "saves us from hell," but because the message that we have been entrusted with sharing, the love and freedom of God in Christ, is not being heard. People are watching and what we say and do in our day to day lives speaks as loudly as what we profess.  Actually - it speaks louder. As what we profess many times winds up sounding like its own form of judgment rather than a message of freedom, mercy, and grace.

If you ask non-Christians what they think of Christians, "loving people," is not usually what comes to mind.

And that's a problem.

Because that means people don't hear the gospel. They hear our judgmentalism. They hear our "righteous anger" over moral issues. They hear our disdain over God being removed from public venues. They hear us bicker and fight among each other over doctrine, worship styles, and social issues. As Paul says - without love, this is all just a noisy gong and clanging cymbal in the ears of a culture that is skeptical of anything that sounds "institutional" to begin with.

Our noisy "gonging" drowns out the radical nature of God's love. Our clanging cymbals deafen people to the lengths to which God has gone to make that love known in the world. They don't see or hear about the daily, ongoing work of missionaries and relief workers. The countless homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and other community and world-wide projects that are Christian-run that serve the needy, poor, and oppressed.

I know the work Christians do that is good. I've seen it and been a part of it. There are important issues that we need to discuss and deal with. But we have an image problem that overshadows all that at the moment.

How will the world know we are Christ's followers? By how we love and treat each other. Perhaps that should be our starting point. Once we get that one down, maybe we can address some of the other issues.

"Love Wins" - A Heresy or the Heart of the Gospel?

In the wake of the Colorado shootings, "Truth in Action" spokesman Jerry Newcombe made the statement that the reason for the shootings was because "America had lost its fear of hell," and went on to state that everyone who died that day who had not had a "personal relationship with Jesus" was going to a "terrible place."

Now there's a bit of pastoral care they forgot to teach me in seminary. When you have an entire nation grieving over a horrific tragedy, let's throw the threat of hell in there just for fun. After all, don't you remember Christ's command to "put the fear of hell into them so that they will know you are my disciples"?

Oh... wait...

Admittedly, the topic of hell is not one I tend to like to discuss much. While I've always accepted its reality, (because I figure why give a warning if there is no danger?) it hasn't been a point of doctrine I've chosen to discuss or even debate much in my ministry. Mainly because it makes me uncomfortable. Not that I tend to shy away from that which makes me uncomfortable, but the whole "hell" thing has just never quite set right with me. Yet, neither has "universalism." Jesus and the scriptures do give us warnings for a reason - I've just struggled with the harshness of our understanding of hell, its seeming contradiction to what a gracious and loving God would do with people who make a few wrong choices, grew up in the wrong place/culture or have suffered abuse at the hands of the church in one form or another.

Admittedly, I have a lot of non-Christian friends that I love dearly. I figure if I can love them, and God's capacity for love far exceeds my own (at least, that's what scripture has taught me), then I have to trust that God is going to do the right thing with those friends of mine who have no faith, or have a faith that differs from mine. Arguably, most are not Christians because of how they've been treated by Christians. They can't stand the hypocrisy, intolerance, judgmental attitudes, small-mindedness, hateful remarks and our insistence that they believe everything a particular way or face eternal torment.

In many cases their rejection is based more upon how Christ and God have been presented than a rejection of what Christ and God truly stand for according to the scriptures. When they voice their opposition and can't believe in the kind of God they have been presented with or the kind of God they had shoved down their throats as a kid, I usually agree with them - I don't believe in that God either.

Therefore, I have always been leery of saying who's "in" and who's "out," stating, "God will have mercy upon whom he will have mercy." I've felt it's never been my place to say who goes to hell and who doesn't. That's God's place to decide. My job has always and will always be - to share the hope I have in and through Jesus Christ and to love and serve my fellow human being to the best of my ability. What happens from there is up to God. Faith is, as Hebrews 11:1 states, "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Faith brings assurance of what God has done for the world through Jesus Christ. Those without faith - lack that assurance in their life. Either by choice, or by misunderstanding the message.

I continue to stand by that view, but following Jerry Newcombe's statements, I decided maybe it was time to address the issue I had avoided for so long more directly. I had such a strong, negative reaction to what he said that I figured that was coming from somewhere. Deep in my soul, there was something that said "something's not right with this." His words seemed irresponsible at best; harmful at worst. While I have accepted there are many things that don't always sit right, something finally said, "now is the time for you to deal with this. To sort this out." So that's what I began doing. Perhaps I'll be accused of sentimentalism and I no doubt will have people say what is espoused below is heresy and that I don't take the threat of hell seriously. Actually, I do. Because I was at one time one of those people who had a problem with Christianity because its fearful message of "believe or roast in eternal hell" never quite worked with the loving Jesus I was also learning about in Sunday school. Cruel and judgmental became the more prevalent viewpoint and I backed away from that Jesus and that God. I rarely attended church, and believe me, becoming a pastor was not even remotely on my radar. That God drove me away from him. That message sent me searching elsewhere, thinking there had to be a better story - a better gospel - than that. Eventually, the love, grace and redemption part eventually made it's way through, and I've lived in an uneasy tension ever since. So it has been a life-long struggle of how do I reconcile hell and a forgiving, loving God? Can I stay true to the scriptures without threatening the fires of hell on those who balk at the actions of many Christians and thus balk at the idea of our God and Christ?

Now, I already know all the arguments regarding "don't have faith - you're going to hell." Most of you know them too, therefore I'm not going to bother with repeating all of them here. I know what they say, and I know how we typically tend to interpret them. While such statements always disturbed me, I allowed myself to live in the tension of believing in a loving, forgiving God and the reality of "hell," figuring it simply was not my place to judge the state of one's heart or standing with God. I know there are statements made in the Bible that are meant to disturb us - because God at times wants to disturb us to move us into action. But this went beyond just being a little disturbed to a nagging "settle this in your heart."

Knowing the other argument, I decided to read the controversial book by Rob Bell entitled "Love Wins." I'd heard the criticisms, I know many called his book heretical (before they'd even read it), and that he was espousing the idea that hell was not real, that it simply didn't exist. But I decided, OK, let's see what this guy REALLY has to say. What I found, at least in my view, was not the heretical "hell isn't real, just ignore all that" I was expecting. Hell was quite present. But so was the gospel. Perhaps I'm grappling still with a few nuances of the book, trying to figure out how some of my Lutheran theology squares with a few different things, but overall it was a deeply compassionate and scripturally motivated work. While I can't touch on every single argument and topic Bell raises, as that would require its own book, I'll attempt to convey the major points.

Does Hell Exist?
Contrary to the accusations that have been tossed out at Mr. Bell, he has not "erased" hell. In fact, Bell affirms there is indeed a hell. Hell is what happens when people abandon all that is good and right and kind and humane. Bell argues that God gives us what we want (and really, hasn't that always been how God's gone about judgment, saying "have it your way"?) and if we want to continue in lives, both now and later, that promote injustice, division, hatred, and violence, aka hell... well... then we can have it. Love, grace and humanity can be rejected. Hell, Bell argues (ok, that was just fun to say), is a "volatile mixture of images, pictures and metaphors that describe the very real experiences and consequences of rejecting our God-given goodness and humanity." While many, especially my fellow Lutherans, would take exception to those last few words - "God-given goodness and humanity" - and argue humanity is not "good," it is sinful, and "only God is good," (Mark 10:18) I think his point is not so much about humanity being "good" as in not sinful, but is in the context of describing some of the horrendous and horrible things we do to each other. The difference between loving one's neighbor and committing atrocities against them. The difference between feeding the poor and taking advantage of them.

One of Bell's primary arguments, however, is understanding exactly what Jesus meant by "hell" when he talked about it. When he names it specifically, he's referencing an actual place just outside the city. He's referencing the "Valley of Hinnom," or "Gehenna," which was a burning trash dump located just southwest of Jerusalem's city gates. The fires never went out and wild animals fought for scraps of food along the edges of the heap, making a gnashing sound as they battled. Is it a literal place? Absolutely. Is he using its imagery to describe the fact that God burns up the sinful garbage from our lives that we have to throw away in the age to come? Absolutely.

Jesus loves using evocative imagery like this to grab people's attention. He uses images like burning trash dumps to describe the dumping ground for our sin. He uses parables, like the rich man and Lazarus, to show what happens when we choose to cling to that sinful garbage. He points to the "attitude" of the rich man. Even in death, even as he sits in torment, he wants Lazarus to get him water. He wants Lazarus to serve him. The chasm that can't be crossed is the rich man's heart as he still clings to the old hierarchy. He rejects the new social order, even in death. He rejected Lazarus as his neighbor and brother in life and continues to reject him in death. Therefore in rejecting the Lazaruses of the world, he has rejected God. He's dead, but he hasn't died the kind of death that actually brings life. He clings to all the things that God has thrown on the burning trash heap to be destroyed.

Bell states, "What we see in Jesus' story about the rich man and Lazarus is an affirmation that there are all kinds of hells, because there are all kinds of ways to resist and reject all that is good and true and beautiful and human now, in this life, and so we can only assume we can do the same in the next... There is hell now, and there is hell later, and Jesus teaches us to take both seriously."

It is important to take into consideration as well that when Jesus talks about hell, judgment and punishment, who he was speaking to. Jesus spends most of his time talking to devoted Jews, people who saw themselves as God's people and on the "inside track," secure in their knowledge that they were God's chosen, saved, covenant people. When Jesus speaks of hell, he's rarely speaking about what people believe but rather the state of the listener's hearts, how they interact with their neighbors and the kind of effect they have on the world. 

"Jesus did not use hell to try and compel heathens and pagans to believe in God so they wouldn't burn when they die. He talked about hell to very religious people to warn them about the consequences of straying from their God-given calling and identity to show the world God's love. This is not to say that hell is not a pointed, urgent warning or that it isn't intimately connected with what we actually do believe, but simply to point out that Jesus talked about hell to the people who considered themselves "in," warning them that their hard hearts were putting their "in-ness" at risk, reminding them whatever "chosen-ness" or "election" meant, whatever special standing they believed they had with God was always, only, ever about their being the kind of transformed, generous, loving people through whom God could show the world what God's love looks like in flesh and blood."

Is Hell "Eternal"?
Bell makes the point that the word "forever" and "eternal" are not the same word. He notes that the Hebrew word for "forever" (olam) is used by Jonah to describe how long he spent in the belly of the whale. He spent "forever" - which, in Jonah's case, was 3 days. Bell continues to make his argument with the Greek words for "forever" and "eternal" (which are different) mean in the "the age to come."

"Forever" (aeon) in the Greek Lexicon is defined as "an age; from the beginning; world order; eternal" (So, yes it can mean "eternal"... but there's another word for actual "eternal," such as when Jesus refers to "eternal life.") The word for "eternal" is "aeonios" which is defined as: "eternal (of quality rather than of time); unending, everlasting, for all time."

So then I did a search to see where "aeon" was used and where "aeonios" was used. Aeonios (eternal) is used in reference to the "eternal fire" only ONCE - and it's utilized when Jesus talks about cutting off a limb when it causes you to sin and throwing it into the "eternal fire." Otherwise, every single other reference to "hell" or "fire," "destruction," etc, uses the word "aeon" or "forever," not eternal. Eternal (aeonios) however is utilized over and over again to describe "eternal life." So the hell references use the more limited "aeon" while the eternal life references use the more expansive "aeonios."

So the question is, if "eternal hell" and "eternal life" are to be seen as equivalent fates, why is the more limited word in Greek, "forever," (aeon) used every time it refers to hell and destruction, and "eternal" used to describe life? Why not use "eternal" for both if that's the intention?

Such a view seems to fit with scripture like Lamentations 3:31-33, "For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone."

For my fellow Lutherans, the idea that a person can still be redeemed beyond the grave, even if they rejected and refused Christ in this life, should not be a new concept. Luther himself in a letter to Hans von Rechenber suggests the possibility that one could turn to God even after death, asking, "Who would doubt God's ability to do that?" Indeed, one of my seminary professors who taught Lutheran confessions stated on more than one occasion, "What can Christ do with a dead you?" suggesting redemption is never impossible, even once you're dead.

Jesus himself states that nothing is unforgivable except "blaspheming the holy spirit;" that is to reject God's work, to reject God's liberating and loving freedom. When standing face to face with God who offers liberation from sin, death, sorrow and pain - and to still say no. In such instances, God does have a history of saying, "Ok, have it your way." You prefer your pain and sorrow and suffering - your hell - then that's what you can have.

But is it forever? How have God's punishments against unjust societies acted in the past? Just to be cruel for the sake of cruelty, or for correction? Over and over again, when God says, "Fine, have it your way," it's so that we can finally discover on our own, that our way is not the best way. It's designed to draw people back to him.

So can someone who chooses their hell, chooses to continue to do the things God will not allow in His Kingdom eventually change their mind? Can they ever be drawn back to God? Does the scripture ever talk about bringing those he has punished back to himself? That he won't abandon them forever? Isn't that what scripture repeats over and over and over again?

People would argue, "who would ever choose hell?" and yet I see people in the here in now choosing their own form of earthly hell, so bound up in their own misery, so unwilling to let go of their addictions, their pain, their resentments, their anger that they do choose their own living hell in the here and now. Like the rich man who walks away from Jesus because he can't walk away from his wealth. They choose their own paths to destruction and resent and refuse any intervention made on their behalf.

Yet that is still not God's desire for their lives or their futures, in this life or the next. "He bears patiently with you, His desire being that no one should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

What About Matthew 7:13-14?

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

I've seen this criticism over and over that Bell does not take into account Matthew 7 or address it in his book. If this is the best argument people can come up with against these viewpoints, it's a shaky objection.  Jesus' warning here is really no different than a multitude of other statements he makes about how difficult it is to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. When the rich man asks what he must do to attain eternal life, rather than taking the perfect opportunity to tell him "just have faith," Jesus instead states, "sell all your possessions and follow me." The rich man turns and walks away because he cannot let go of his earthly wealth. He cannot stop clinging to those things God deems rubbish in his Kingdom.

Or when Jesus states it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Jesus' point with the wide and narrow gates and roads is in this same vein. Self-destructive paths are always easier to go down. Clinging to the worldly things that harm us ultimately rather than choosing the path that leads to "life" is a reality of human nature. While not addressing this particular scripture directly, he answers it in the Hebrew view of what is meant by "life" and "death."

"We're used to people speaking of life and death as fixed states or destinations, as in you're either alive or you're dead. What we find in the scriptures is a more nuanced understanding that sees life and death as two ways of being alive. When Moses in Deuteronomy 30 calls the Hebrews to choose life over death, he's not forcing them to decide whether they will be killed on the spot; he's confronting them with their choice of the kind of life they're going to keep on living. The one kind of life is in vital connection with the living God, in which they experience more and more peace and wholeness. The other kind of life is less and less connected with God and contains more and more despair and destruction."

Jesus over and over does the same thing. He calls people to live in God's Kingdom in the here and now. To live a rich and full life lived in God rather than pursuing the things in life that lead to self-destruction, pain, and sorrow. To forgive rather than cling to resentments. To follow him and leave behind the pursuits of the world and instead live a joyous life that exudes a love that breaks down all kinds of human barriers that transcends the "categories" the world places us in.

Does What We Believe Matter Then?
Absolutely. People believe all sorts of things about God and themselves. Like the two sons in the parable of the Prodigal Son, both have their view of events. Both believe something about their Father and their situation. One feels so unworthy because of what he's done that he just hopes he can be a servant in his father's household. The elder brother, by contrast, sees his father's response to throw a party as being unfair - that he's been a "slave" to his father all these years, not recognizing everything the father had was already his. He could have had a party with a fatted calf anytime he wanted it. He sits at the party in his own personal hell because he refuses to trust the father's version of his story.

"We all have our version of events. Who we are, who we aren't, what we've done, what that means for our future. our worth, value, significance. The things we believe about ourselves that we cling to despite the pain and agony they're causing us. Some people are haunted by the sins of the past. Abuse, betrayal, addiction, infidelity--secrets that have been buried for years...flaws, failures, shame like a stain that won't wash out. A deep-seated, profound belief that they are at some primal level of the soul, not good enough. For other, it isn't their acute sense of their lack or inadequacy or sins; it's their pride. Their ego. They're convinced of their own greatness and autonomy--they don't need anybody... we believe all sorts of things about ourselves."

God invites us into his story of who and what we are. A life without guilt or shame or blame or anxiety. The question is - can we trust that story of ourselves? Can we trust God's version of events and God's declaration of who we are to him? Or do we believe our own version of events? Do we trust God's "unfailing love" for us? Or do we trust a version of the story that says if you don't believe exactly the right things in exactly the right way, God will punish you forever?

"A loving heavenly father who will go to extraordinary lengths to have  relationship with them would, in the blink of an eye, become a cruel, mean, vicious tormentor who would ensure that they had no escape from an endless future of agony...If God can switch gears like that, switch entire modes of being that quickly, that raises a thousand questions about whether a being like this could ever be trusted, let alone be good...Hell is refusing to trust, and refusing to trust is often rooted in a distorted view of God. Sometimes the reason people have a problem accepting "the gospel" is that they sense that the God lurking behind Jesus isn't safe, loving, or good... they want nothing to do with Jesus because they don't want anything to do with that God."

This point highlights what I highlighted as my suspicion at the beginning of my blog - that many reject Jesus because they are rejecting our presentation of God and Jesus. Have we spent too much time presenting God as an abusive parent who tosses people into the eternal fires of torment when they don't step exactly right or don't believe exactly the right things? When they misunderstand the message that we Christians have been entrusted with? Jesus tells his disciples that the world will know them by how they love one another as Christ loved them.

How exactly did Christ love his disciples?

The disciples were loved by Jesus despite their inability to grasp over and over again who exactly Jesus was.
The disciples were loved by Jesus when they just didn't get what he was trying to tell them.
The disciples were loved by Jesus when they displayed their lack of faith.
The disciples were loved by Jesus even after they denied him and abandoned him to suffer and die on the cross.

So why do we impose more limitations on Jesus' ability to love and forgive than Jesus himself imposed? Can we trust God's ability and will to forgive and love us?

Hell is refusing to trust, and refusing to trust is often rooted in a distorted view of God... to reject God's grace, to turn from God's love, to resist God's telling, will lead to misery. It is a form of punishment all on its own... saying yes will take us in one direction, saying no will take us in another. God is love and to refuse this love moves us away from it in the other direction, and that will by very definition be an increasingly unloving, hellish reality.

So Why Have Faith Now If The Possibility of Forgiveness Exists Later?
In many ways, this is one of the more ridiculous questions, but one that gets asked frequently. Why have faith? Why not just live your sinful life, reject God's ways and then when you get in front of God go, "Yeah, ok, I lived my life this way but now I'm ready for that whole eternal life in your kingdom kind of thing"? Doesn't quite work that way. Because what you practice now, what you cling to now, will be just as hard to give up in the next life as it is in this life. You grow to love your sinful ways, they'll be that much harder to dump on the burning trash heap. When the light shines on them, revealing them for all they're worth, do we ask for forgiveness, or shy away and run back to the shadows? Paul states in 1 Corinthians 3, "If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames."

But if you knew about something wondrous, if you could experience and know RIGHT NOW that God forgives you, that God has a life of peace, prosperity, happiness and joy that is filled with no war, pain, sorrow, greed, or injustice - wouldn't you like to know about it? Wouldn't you like to experience in the here and the now the blessings of God's world both now AND then? Faith isn't about a ticket into an event. Faith is about living and participating in the event itself. Faith indeed saves us - it saves us from despair. It saves us from thinking "this is all there is." It saves us from having no hope in a glorious future. That's the danger we run right now in our lives. The future looks bleak. Headlines show us day after day the horrors and atrocities of war and rebellion. Senseless acts of violence. Global warming, historic droughts, rising poverty levels, unemployment, shaky economies... we see it all around us and it's not too difficult to see our world headed for destruction. Hope has become a rare commodity. Faith is about trusting God has something else in mind for us and our world. Faith is about realizing that if we actually acted the way Jesus commands us to act, our world, in the here and now, actually CAN be a better place. Faith has real consequences right now in how we live our lives as much as it does in the age to come.

Living a life secure in the knowledge of redemption and love brings about "true life." It's that "life" lived in God that leads to "eternal life" that both Moses and Jesus talked about. It's both a present and future reality.

Does Love Win?
Many critics of Bell's viewpoint state that Bell doesn't "trust" God when the scriptures talk about the reality of hell, and yet, from my perspective, Bell "trusts" God more than most. He trusts God to do the right thing. He trusts God when He says he sent Christ into the world to redeem and save the world. He trusts the scriptures when they say Christ came to save all people. He doesn't deny hell, and doesn't deny it's reality in both this life and the next. He merely questions the way in which we tend to interpret how one winds up there. Does God "send" people there, or is it a reality we choose until we accept God's reality for our world and lives? Is it eternal, or does it only last as long as we resist?

Bell's view of Christ's death and resurrection is cosmic and sweeping. That Christ's work is bigger than JUST a personal relationship with Jesus. That Jesus, the living incarnate Word of God through whom all things were made, came to renew, restore and reconcile everything on earth and in heaven. (Colossians 1) Death and destruction have been defeated on a grand scale that involves the entire world and universe. "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." (Romans 8) All of humanity died through the first humans so "in Christ all will be made alive." (1 Cor. 15). For "the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people," (Titus 2) and "just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all." (Romans 5)

Scripture tells us over and over how God is love and how His desire is to reconcile the ENTIRE world to himself, not just a select few. Even in Revelation, we discover God's motives and actions are ultimately not destructive, but constructive. That his will is not to destroy the earth, but to renew and redeem it. That destruction and violence aren't ultimately how he chooses to win people's hearts. That when people repent and turn to him, healing can begin. Tears can be wiped away. Hearts can be transformed.

God's eternal city that comes to earth draws all nations to its healing trees and river of life. The gates that surround the city stand wide open, never to be shut. Forever open, forever beckoning. Nothing impure enters it - because the blood of the lamb cleanses all who enter. Lying, idolatry, deceit, lust... all the garbage of our sinful lives are left outside the gates. We can't take those things with us into God's holy and eternal city.

Outside the city gates is the burning trash heap of everything that is impure, everything that doesn't belong in God's Kingdom. It is Gehenna, hell. It is clinging to the rubbish of the sinful world, refusing the changed reality of God's kingdom, refusing to trust the redemptive power of Christ in our lives both now and in the age to come.

Is this heresy or the heart of the Gospel message? Is the good news of what Christ did through his death and resurrection bigger and better than being reduced to who's "in" and who's "out"? Or is the gospel message about thriving in God's kingdom? Is it about being liberated from sinful garbage? Is it about daily dying to the sin and destruction of this world and rising to new life in the one through whom all things were created and hold together?

What God do we want to tell people about? One who loves you, but won't hesitate to throw you into the fiery pits of hell because of the culture you were born into or the damage that was done to you by so-called Christians? Is this the message we give to the woman who was raped by her father while he quoted scripture? To the child who was beaten repeatedly by a father who goes to church every Sunday and sings in the church choir? To the adult who as a child was teased and tormented by her Christian classmates for being raised in a different faith - or with no faith? Told over and over that she was going to hell because she was different than they were. To the Muslim child who sits in a wheelchair because the "Christians" cut off his legs with a machete to shame him. Tell him his current hell isn't real enough - he must experience the REAL hell-fires for eternity unless he believes in the God that was professed by those who came and chopped off his legs. Is that the message we are called to share and send out into the world? A God that promises more misery and destruction in the midst of some people's already hellish existence? That's the God Jerry Newcombe told the world about.

Or do we share the good news of the resurrected Jesus, that mystery hidden in the very fabric of creation that has been revealed with such joy that the entire universe will sing His praises? A God that calls people out of their misery and hell and offers a "different way" and a different "path"? A God that offers redemption, renewal, healing, compassion and comfort. A God that says I will bring to myself even those who are far off. A God that says, "I will not allow the atrocity of what happened in Aurora, Colorado to happen in my Kingdom." A God that says "I will restore your body, remove your hurts and your pain. I will not abandon anyone forever." A God who went to great lengths to restore and redeem the broken relationship between God and humanity, and continues to go to great lengths to let his love for ALL humanity be known in the world.

Which God do we want a hurting world to meet?