Posted by Chris on Aug 8, 2011 in
Culture,
God 
When Rick Perry asked Texans to join him in prayer and fasting he added the words “like Jesus did.” The implication is “if Jesus were in our situation he would and pray and fast.”
Perhaps that is true. Jesus was a Jew and prayer and fasting was a historically accurate response to calamity.
The problem is that Perry claimed that his rally was to pray and fast like Jesus did.
So how did Jesus pray and fast? Well he doesn’t have much to say about it, except in Matthew:
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
So, if Jesus didn’t want people to show off their religiousness by fasting, would he record a video about fasting and put it on Vimeo for the world to see?
Would Jesus rent out an arena for thousands to join in a fasting event?
What do you think Jesus would say to Rick Perry about this event?
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Tags: fasting, Jesus, politics, prayer, Rick Perry
Posted by Chris on Jul 25, 2011 in
Culture,
God 
Warning! Spoilers and Theology Ahead!
The funny thing about the criticism that J.K. Rowling received over the years from right wing Christian groups was the fact that they could ignore the obvious Christian undertones that characterized the books from the beginning. A chosen child who saves his people from an evil snake? Come on people, how did you think this book was going to end?
However it would be wrong to consider Harry an outright “Christ figure.” The truly analagous Aslan is both the creator and lord of Narnia, and the one who dies to redeem his people from their evil choices. Harry on the other hand, must kill the evil inside of him, so that he and those he loves will survive.
Harry is like any lover of Jesus: an imperfect replication of Christ.
Christ’s story is the God who died so that all might live. What Christ accomplished in his death for the cosmos, so we accomplish in our baptism and throughout a life of growing in the way of Jesus.
Jesus put it this way:
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
So we have this image of Harry, having been murdered by Voldemort. In between worlds, the spirit of Dumbledore points out that a little piece of Voldemort is dying. Voldemort was inside Harry all along. There was a part of Harry that made his life miserable. It disfigured his forehead, gave him migrains and fits of depression, and strange abilities that scared his friends. That piece of Harry was a piece of Voldemort buried inside of him, and it had to die so that Harry and his friends could live.
Paul, an early follower of Jesus put it this way:
“Our old self was crucified with him
so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with
that we should no longer be slaves to sin
because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.”
Harry Potter is not so much a Christ figure as a Christian Figure. His is not a Passion Play so much as a Sanctification Story. Christ has already died for the world. Now we must die ourselves.
What it took Rowling tens of thousands of pages to say, Bonhoeffer put in one sentence:
“When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.”
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Tags: A Jesus Way, books, Dumbledore, fantasy, Harry Potter, Jesus, movies, sci-fi, Science Fiction, Snape, wizards
Posted by Chris on Jul 4, 2011 in
Church,
Culture 
Jesus does not often address the State, except for his famous words on taxes “render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” It seems that Jesus is drawing a clear line between the State and the Kingdom of God. The State is an unavoidable part of life, with its requirements, but it is neither from God nor for God. Notice that Jesus did not say “when you serve your country, you are serving God.”
Paul and his contemporaries continued to undermine the state. Phrases salted throughout the New Testament like “Jesus is Lord” are a direct mockery of the political slogans of the day such as “Caesar is Lord.”
The church of the next few centuries saw itself as it’s own nation. Origen said that ”in each city” the church formed “another sort of country, created by the Logos of God.” Tertullian pulled no punches saying, “Nothing is more foreign to us than the State.”
It’s easy to see why the early church found themselves in direct opposition to their host. They were worshipping Jesus in a empire that mandated the worship of many gods, including Caesar. They were actively breaking down barriers such as Jews, Greeks, slaves, free, male and female. Looking to Jesus teachings, they refused violence, and shied away from military service.
But aren’t there drastic consequences if we don’t love our country? When Origen was hit with the accusation that if everyone acted like Christians the entire empire would go to rot, he responded “If everyone were the same as I, the barbarians would also be converted to the word of God, and would be the most law abiding and mild.” It wasn’t a question of being anti-Rome. They just believe all the answers were found in Jesus.
So how would Jesus celebrate independence day?
I won’t pretend to speak for him on the matter. But for me, I’m going to work like every other day of the week. I’ll grill with some friends, because they happen to have a day off. I’ll join with Abraham, Jesus, Paul and Tertullian, and unknown writer of Hebrews:
“They were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
The quotes from the ancient fathers were drawn from Gerhard Lohfink’s excellent book Jesus and Community, which I read as part of the MAGL.
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Tags: anabaptist, church fathers, independence day, Jesus, MAGL
Posted by Chris on Jun 9, 2011 in
Church,
God,
Life 
While I was meeting with my MAGL cohort in Colorado Springs, we talked a lot about books. Since books and audiobooks are such a big part of my life, a classmate suggested I create a reading list. This series will tackle that question.
If you could read only one book about Jesus, it should be The Divine Conspiracy. Dallas Willard masterfully explains the core topic of Jesus teachings, The Kingdom of God, and how we are to respond to them.
The book begins with a discussion of the very idea of a kingdom, how we each have our own, and what it means for God to have one. At it’s most basic, the Kingdom of God is “the dome under which God is King.” He then goes on to explain that if Jesus is God, he is also the smartest person that ever lived. He also explains that Jesus teachings were meant to be taken as serious ethical directions for individuals and societies. The majority of the book works through Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount.
What makes Willard’s writing so meaningful is that he is a foremost a highly astute philosopher. Yet despite his intellectual prowess, the majority of his teaching is based in the belief that we can, and should do what Jesus said. He shows how very simple, yet difficult, it is to live in the kingdom of God.
Divine Conspiracy is on my vert short list of almost yearly reads. When I read it, I feel like I am finally seeing who Jesus is, and how his teachings were meant to change our lives and the world.
You can find The Divine Conspiracy here in paperback, digital, and audio.
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Tags: books, Dallas Willard, discipleship, if you could only read one book, Jesus, spiritual formation, The Divine Conspiracy, Willard
Posted by Chris on May 11, 2011 in
Church,
Culture,
God,
Life 
“I don’t really have time in my life for religion right now.”
The comment came when I ran into someone I knew from church at a coffee shop. It came when I made the comment “we miss you.” With a subtle turn of phrase, the person affectively changed the conversation from one about broken relationships to a matter of taste and time management.
We only use the word “religion” when we are angry, or sarcastic, or being derisive. Best case scenario we use it to sound academic.
I’m not sure when the word came to take on such a negative connotation. Perhaps it was in the 60s and 70s when the religions of the East began to get some popular traction by selling themselves as alternative “spiritualities.” These days “religious” seems to mean “out of date” and “bigoted.” While “spiritual” seems to mean anything from transcendental meditation to sacred dances.
If you trade out the word religious out of the conversation, does the argument hold up? Let’s give it a try:
“I don’t really have time to be spiritual right now.”
It’s hard to imagine anyone short of a fictional Victorian scientist saying something like this. Even busy people recognize the value of yoga or prayer or other practices that acknowledge an unseen world. They might not do them, but they would acknowledge their need.
“I don’t really have time for friendships right now.”
Anyone who would say something like this would simultaneously have to deal with immense feelings of loneliness and despair.
The fact is, even if the person felt either of these two things, they wouldn’t say it. Instead, they use the term religion. It’s an easy way to avoid admitting that you have left behind a part of your life.
To be fair, I’m not a big fan of the word “religion” or being labeled “religious.” I try to alway push the conversation back to a desire to model my life after Jesus and my need to be a part of a community that does the same. However, if you mean by “religious” that I have a set of practices, both personal and communal, that arrange my life, you’re dead on. By the same standard any professional athlete or musician, whose life is organized by their field’s required practices, rehearsal, diets and performances, should be labeled religious.
I’ll even go as far as saying that I’m a big fan of organized religion. At least, in comparison to disorganized religion.
If you have left the church, or you’re thinking about it, don’t use semantics to justify your decision. Instead, wrestle with the fact that you are leaving behind the practices that can order your life well. You are leaving behind a community, friends and family.
It’s a lot more than “religion.”
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Tags: Community, Jesus, language, religion, religious, spirituality
When Rick Perry asked Texans to join him in prayer and fasting he added the words “like Jesus did.” The implication is “if Jesus were in our situation he would and pray and fast.”
