Will You Cross The Line?

Imagine a scenario in which four people were set up to play a game of Monopoly for the first time in their lives. They sat in chairs numbered 1 through 4. What they didn't know is that the game had been rigged. The person in the first chair began the game with all their money taken and distributed among the other three players. That means that the people in chairs 2, 3, and 4 would each start with $2000, rather than the normal starting amount of $1500. All players were then told that there would be one significant rule change: each time a player passed Go, they would receive the standard $200 only if they had a net worth of more than $1800. With that in place the game began.

How do you think the game would go? Chances are good that the person in chair #1 would struggle. Not only would they not have any money to purchase property or pay bills, they would find it incredibly difficult to amass enough wealth to start receiving the benefits of passing Go. If the same scenario were replayed 100 times, there would likely be 2 or 3 times where a person in chair #1 broke through the stacked deck and managed to do well, but most times that would not be the case.

Now imagine that in the middle of the game, each player was replaced by a new player who would sit in their chair and take over for them. The new players would know the rule about passing Go, but would be unaware that the starting money was taken from the player in chair #1. What would be the reaction? If you took over for chair #2 on four or five separate occasions, what would you think? Wouldn't you start to wonder what was wrong with the people who sat in chair #1? Why are they always so bad at this? Why were they so frustrated? You might even point out to the poor soul and chair #1 that you were all playing by the same rules, so they just need to work little harder or get better at the game. And while from one perspective, all the players are playing by the same rules, they really are not, are they?

This is an excerpt from the book, Crossing The Line: Culture, Race, and Kingdom, by Michael Burns. The title alludes to crossing the line between two opposing sides, as depicted here. (I personally suspect the actual cross of Christ may be word played a little as well.) It is a book written to educate and facilitate true dialogue about race and its impact on our culture and church. For the past few months, I have been able to lead our local small group's discussions as we read this book together.

And you know what? At about half way through, it is going REALLY well! This book is absolutely amazing. It is educational (the author used to be a history teacher!). It is challenging. And it is inspiring.

Please read it.

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

 - 1 John 4:20

Will you Cross the line?

America and Me

I look at the TV: your America's doin' well.

I look out the window: my America's catchin' hell.

 - Living Colour

I live in an area where I see American flags everywhere. It's caused me to really think about what it means to me, now, to be an American.

Truth is, it has meant different things at different times.

• Growing up, it was just part of life. I pledged allegiance at school. I sang patriotic songs at events. I thought we were the greatest country in the world.
• When I became old enough to vote, it meant I had a right and a privilege to make a difference, and I took that very seriously.
• When I became a Christian, it started to mean a lot less; i.e., just another earthly affiliation. I still vote, but I have gained an understanding of nationalism's rightful place in the heart and life of a follower of Christ.
• After 9/11, I suddenly felt more patriotic than ever before! I, too, wanted the evil vanquished.
• Since 2020, I can no longer pretend that America is not built on a system that benefits the few at the expense of the many, and those who will fight...and kill...to keep it that way -- all the while ignoring or denying the truth of it all.
• And there is a certain look/type of person that particularly makes me uncomfortable and nervous to even be around. Especially with my kids.
• And these last two points make me very sad.

We are not the greatest nation in the world. In fact, it's very possible that the United States has never been more divided, and this scares me because a nation divided against itself cannot stand (Matthew 12:25). At this point, we are probably more of a laughing stock than anything else. It is truly embarrassing.

The 4th of July represents something good for some, but not for all. There is no liberty and justice for ALL in this country. And until there is, we won't be anywhere near the greatest nation in the world.

I am not proud to be an American. I am grateful for certain things, but I don't think we've had reason to be proud for quite some time.

Maybe, some day, we will again. Maybe, some day, we will once again aspire to intelligence and not belittle it; not identify ourselves by who we vote for; and, maybe -- just maybe -- not scare so easy.

National Day of Prayer, 2024

Yesterday was this country's National Day of Prayer. Last night, I attended a prayer gathering put on by multiple churches and hosted by a church I'd never been to. As the night went on, I noticed a theme evolve in my mind and heart: God's plan is for those of us who claim to love and follow Him to be the lights in the darkness, and we pretty much have been sucking at that. I feel like God, starting in 2020, has served up on a silver platter a huge opportunity to shine, and we have done the opposite. We have behaved far more like our surrounding culture than the God we follow (attacks when we should have listened, silence when we should have spoken, choosing sides based on earthly ideals, etc.). As some know, my journey with my church has been a long, strange trip indeed. And indeed, it has finally come to an end.

But everything is bigger than that. WAY bigger, in fact, than which church I or anyone else goes to! Jesus prayed for His followers to be unified, and we've pretty much screwed that up royally as well. And the more I watch the world and think and pray about what I see, the more convinced I am becoming that at this point, the real hope on the human side of things lies in certain generational things just going away.

NOTE: Not all, just some. No baby-with-the-bathwater silliness. We actually need all generations to work together to thrive. Sadly, though, some things just need to go.

For one example, as we approach the season where we get to "choose" between a megalomaniac and an apparent genocide supporter, people like this young woman give me even just a little hope; not for the immediate future unfortunately, but for the longer term. I've even had the thought recently that, I wonder if the Doomsday Clock actually measures the increasing number of people who are figuring out how things really work between the have's and have-not's -- and why -- and, subsequently, how much closer we're getting to the breaking point of when enough people have finally had enough. (I'm sure it's not, but the thought really isn't that outlandish, and that's a problem in itself.)

Anyway, at the end of the day, human beings are divided into two fundamental groups: those who are, and those who are not, stupid. It seems our only real hope is that the latter group, like the young woman above, begins and continues to outnumber the former. And as "First World" Christians especially, it seems our part in this is to focus on the author and perfecter of not-stupid and let go of our culturally ingrained nonsense.

And that is something I consider worth praying for, yesterday, today, and every day!

It's Just Money

While we were out of town this past March, we got a Life360 alert that one of our kids' phones experienced some sort of sudden stop, and that one of the things this could mean is an accident. (This is a really lame experience, by the way, especially when you've already been through it once before for real.) Anyway, when we finally got hold of them, we found out that our son had left his phone on top of the car and it ended up going on its own, final adventure. Then,

1. We reported it to Verizon.
2. This lowered our bill by a good amount.
3. We told him he wouldn't be getting another one until he could pay for it.
4. Life was good.
5. Then,

We got an email from Verizon shortly thereafter informing us that, with only three phones, we would be losing whatever bundle discount we had. Ok. Cool. How bad could it be? Then,

I got the latest bill today.

$460.

For THREE phones!

So I've been calming myself by reminding myself that it's just money. It comes and goes. And really, what else can you do about something you never seem to have enough of? Besides, it's not like it's oxygen, or love. Those would be really bad things to never have enough of, right?

So, yeah. It's just money.

It's. Just. Money.

IT'S...eh, I'll let you know how it goes. (No, we won't be paying that.)

Why I Left My Church of 30 Years

As is almost always the case in situations like this, there are multiple reasons.

First, it's very much the same people doing the same things in the same ways as they have for the last 40 years. There is a soul-numbing lack of depth.

Second, they use the language of "family" but they are not. It is Corporate America dressed up as a church. Have genuine friendships developed? Of course. But "coworkers" is a better comparison when looking at the bigger picture:

• People sit in the same place, with the same people, having the same conversations. 
• You matter if you contribute to their bottom line, and you do not if you don't.
• There is a clear "org chart" hierarchy delineating who matters more.
• Questioning leadership will almost certainly not end well for you.

(Their bottom line, though irrefutably intertwined, is not primarily financial; it is growing the church. And while God obviously wants everyone to be with Him in the end (2 Peter 3:9), they mistake God's Prime Directive for theirs. We are called to love Him and each other increasingly well (Mark 12:28-31) and let Him make the fruit grow (1 Cor 3:7). It's almost as if they actually believe He needs our help!)

But for many of us (yes, many of us), the final reason goes much deeper. It is about hurt and harm that has come from abuse, justified by their focus on "the mission," and swept under the rug. Hopefully I can be sensitive to friends and others who have lived this literally(!), but it seems very much like finally admitting you are married to a racist, sexist, abusive narcissist, and you just can't do it any more. In fact, you should not.

I hear some say we should fight to keep the world/local culture from creeping into the church; more and more are realizing it started to do that a long time ago. We have historically prided ourselves on being diverse and not like the world; however, while our membership has been diverse, our leadership and culture have been (and largely continue to be) White, conservative American patriarchy. Again, Corporate America dressed up as a church.

The real problem, though, is that most seem okay staying on this path and definitely NOT okay with owning our mistakes and harm and truly working toward healing and real growth.

And this is why I (and yes, again, so many others) have left / are leaving / will leave.

Baptism

Few doctrines have been and still are as contentious among Christians as baptism.

• Immersion or sprinkling?
• Baby or adult?
• Necessary or optional?
• Work or obedience?

"Unfortunately, the proper role of baptism in conversion has been lost to most of the Christian world since the early 400s."

God's plan of salvation is not complicated, but it is ordered (which makes sense, as He is a God of order). Think of it like making a cake: all the right ingredients, no wrong ingredients, added in order, and then baked in the oven. Baptism is like the baking part. :)

It is important to understand that the mere fact that every single ingredient isn't listed every single time it's addressed does not make any single ingredient any less vital. If Gordon Ramsay addresses the lack of salt in a contestant's dish, he is not negating all the other ingredients. God addresses faith in some places, repentance in others, and baptism in others still (Acts 2:36-39, Colossians 2:11-15, Romans 6:1-5 for starters).

In short: Baptism is not just an outward sign of anything. Full-immersion water baptism is a vital part of God's plan of salvation; it is, in fact, the point at which we (1) participate in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection; (2) receive the promised Holy Spirit who indwells us (which is very different from an outpouring of the Spirit); and, (3) receive the forgiveness of our sins. Needless to say, one must be mature enough to understand the basic truths of the Gospel and the commitment being made.

And that's just the beginning! I personally found the book, Born of Water, a simple yet incredibly helpful tool in understanding baptism.

Here are some more resources for those who want to go even deeper:

• What the Bible teaches about baptism
• Baptism in the New Testament
• Baptism: The Believer's Wedding Ceremony
• Down in the River to Pray
• Martin Luther on "faith alone"
• Church History In Plain Language

“As many as are persuaded and believe that what we teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their sins that are past, we praying and fasting with them. Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. For Christ also said, “Unless you are born again, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven… [We] may obtain in the water the remission of sins formerly committed… And this washing is called illumination…” 

 - Justin Martyr, chap lxi)

In fact, all ancient Christian writers locate the waters of baptism as the context of the new birth. For more on this, see the Ross-Jacoby baptism debate (2 parts + 16 Q&As).

My hope and prayer are that we can all come back fully to God's will regarding this holy and beautiful practice!

We Need Help!

1. Buy a cheap Bible.

2. Tear out everything that is God using one or a few of His people to try to get through to the rest (most if not all of the Prophets, Epistles, Gospels(!), and surprisingly so much more) as opposed to those "outside," and see how much of the Bible is left.

3. SIT WITH THIS for as long as it takes to get that if your "faith" and/or church focuses on outward, quantifiable forms of "productivity" (e.g., evangelism) something is wrong! (Extra credit: watch this video that delves more deeply into this particular focus.)

4. Keep this Bible as an ever-present reminder of what God actually wants us to focus on (Matthew 22:36-40, Matthew 7:12).

___________________________

What about today? Is there something -- a recurring theme that keeps coming up -- that God may be trying to get through to the many via the few?

God's plan for His church today is the same as it was back in the Old Testament. He put the Israelites in the "crossroads" of their day so that all nations could be exposed to what it's like to truly live and walk with Him. This plan, however, is predicated on His people actually loving Him and each other truly, as He defines love. We obviously need all the help we can get with this; hence, the challenge exercise above.

In fact, if we're being totally honest, we in the "American Church" have failed miserably at this...and we will have to answer for it. Or what else do you think Jesus was trying to warn us about in Matthew 7:21-23?

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 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!’"

For my first two or so years as a follower of Jesus, I wholeheartedly believed that this applied to "others" (i.e., those outside my church). Ever since the day I realized that this applies to EVERYONE I have considered this the scariest passage in the entire Bible. ("scary" as in sobering in a terrifying way 😁)

Notice that Jesus does not contradict them; He does not say, "No you did not do those things." Instead, Jesus is straight up warning us that we can literally check all our religion's/church's little boxes and still go to Hell!

And in warning us, He (1) literally contrasts God's actual will with our little boxes(!) and (2) boils it all down so simply to not truly knowing us.

Please join me in praying (and fighting) for our hearts (Proverbs 4:23), our lampstands (Revelation 2:5), and both our and our hearers' souls (1 Timothy 4:16).