7.17.2007 | Conformity

Something that we must keep in mind whenever someone suggests doing something to make our church services more "relevant" or "youth-oriented." Or whatever seems to be the flavor of the month.

It's very simple: there are eternal truths. There is one very large eternal Truth, with a capital "T" -- Jesus Christ is Lord, and he has overcome the world (John 16:33). He has overcome the world, so that we don't have to.

But we must live in the world. While we do, here is some time-tested, nay, eternal advice from Paul in his letter to the church at Rome. Romans 12:2:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The world has many temptations; it's oh so easy to succumb. I have, and do. Just that, now I feel guilty.

Guilt is only a start, brothers and sisters. With God's help, guilt, not useful by itself, can lead to renewal: stopping the sins before they are even born. How to keep on that path towards renewal?

Let's all take the a advice that God gave to Joshua, when Joshua, a mere youth, was instructed to take on the mantle that had been Moses'. Joshua 1-9:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Remember this whenever you are tempted by the world, or believe yourself too weak to withstand the temptations.

6.15.2007 | The quality of mercy

From the Bard's The Merchant of Venice, when Portia speaks to Shylock in Act IV, Scene I:

The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

Mercy is one of our Lord's pre-eminent virtues, and, as Shakespeare wrote, His mercy does indeed "droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven." Mercy in a man's heart is a gift from God, and, although God will also judge us using His enduring standards, He will always show us mercy while so doing.

All this is preamble to what has been bothering me about the Scooter Libby prosecution, trial, conviction, and sentencing. And now it looks as though Mr. Libby will be denied his freedom while he appeals; the trial judge just doesn't seem to think that allowing the clearly dangerous felon to remain free (hmm, can't find the HTML sarcasm tags...).

Let's be brutally honest here: Scooter Libby lied under oath; he was prosecuted; he was convicted. He shouldn't be exonerated of guilt because he did what he did in a noble cause, and against some fairly slimy characters (Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame). Fair enough; that there was no underlying crime does not change this. Neither, however, is it justice. And most certainly it is not mercy.

Mr.Libby was prosecuted by an overly-zealous prosecutor who appeared to be out to score political points; he was handed a Draconian sentence by a judge who seems to lack a shred of decency or mercy.

Is Scooter Libby guilty? Yes. As for punishment, he has already suffered financial loss in defending himself against the excesses of the state; he has suffered the embarrassment of conviction and the likelihood of his ever holding high appointed or elected office again. In short, he is now a convicted felon. Enough is enough.

Since the judge lacks mercy, President Bush should commute the sentence. No, not pardon him. Just apply some Christian mercy. Mr. Bush can call it something else; perhaps Shakespearian mercy...

3.21.2007 | GodMen

I caught a snippet of GodMen this morning on the tube; my first reaction was, "oh crap, another Robert Bly-drum-beating escape mechanism for men who can't cope."

But I was curious, and found the website GodMen - When Faith Gets Dangerous. GodMen appears to be a hormonal reaction to the tameness and white-breadness that is church in America these days. Too many sappy praise songs; too much "love this, love that." And far too little of the fire and brimstone that is also part of who Jesus Christ was, and is.

Jesus, while incarnate, was a man. He ate; he drank wine; he defecated, sweat, and probably didn't smell too good. He probably had pimples when he was an adolescent, and likely had all of the normal urges that are the glory and the shame of our human species. Jesus, of course, unlike the rest of us, was able to restrain those urges.

Jesus was, as the dogma goes, fully human. He tasted everything, including, most importantly, death on the cross. And he faced it like a man among men. This appears to be what GodMen is all about.

Jesus may have been tender and mild, but he wasn't some first century mama's boy. He was a man who did not tolerate sin. He promised judgment against those who don't repent. And he was not above taking the lash to those who desecrated his Father's house.

Today's church, at least many of them, have lost sight of this masculine Jesus, and have subsituted a namby-pamby savior who is no role model for men. A feminized Christ who would never threaten anyone with hellfire.

This notion is enough to drive us all out of church. And this, maybe, is what GodMen is about -- having us remember why we joined in the first place: because of a man named Jesus who took a bullet (ok, a cross) in our stead.

1.28.2007 | Eternal civil rights

The Christian must not judge people by any standard other than that of Jesus Christ. Jesus set a high bar, of course: nothing less than Torah and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12:

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

This re-statement of the Golden Rule works for me, and should always be in the front of our brains before we engage our mouths. I make no claims for my own success in this...

As for pre-judging a person based on skin color, the quality of his clothing, or what car he drives, Jesus also has some brief, and sufficient word. John 7:24

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.

We should all attempt to keep these simple standards in view, 24/7. And, best of all, attempt to live by them.

| technorati tag | Christianity|