Ambivalent Christianity

I received a mailing yesterday announcing the upcoming National Pastors Conference in San Diego. One of the participants, a professor from Baylor, is going to lead a presentation called, "How to be evangelical without being Conservative." And therein lies the ambivalence of Christianity today. We want to be "all things to all people" in the worst possible sense of that phrase. To be evangelical today has, for many people, connotations of the "religious right," in the political sense, of course, and probably some connotations of theological conservatism from which some religious academics would like to distance themselves. It is unfortunate that those beliefs which were considered mainstream Christian orthodoxy 50 years ago have now come into such disrepute that they are considered conservative. The church is largely ambivalent about traditional Christian language and teaching, and largely ambiguous about what it really believes. Ask the average mainline Christian preacher to state beliefs on Christology, the Bible, the attributes of God, or any number of key Christian topics, and you'll get few clear-cut answers. If you ask in what sense certain words are being used such as "salvation," "evangelism," the "Gospel," you may find that the meanings long attached to those words in past decades are not necessarily what is meant by a lot of ministers today. We seem afraid to stand for traditional Christian doctrines. Are we scared of science or technology? Have we been so spooked by pluralism that we are afraid to speak the truth, not wanting to offend anybody? Are we shocked by all the "New Age teachings," and fear our Christianity has run its course? Philosophies come and go. We need not fear worldly systems or skeptical constructs. Even liberal Christianity is not new. And the church has always had to resist heresies and call them by their right name. Whether one desires to be a "conservative" is not important. I will, however, seek to be evangelical and orthodox. Today, that may make me a conservative; but there was a time that it would have just meant that I was a Christian.

The President Speaks--and We Want to Talk Back!

Last night, the President spoke to the nation about the war in Iraq! Don't worry, this is not going to be about the war in Iraq! After the President's speech, however, there was a response from a member of the opposing party. How times have changed! When I was a boy growing up in the '50's and '60's, that didn't happen. If the President wanted to speak to the nation, he did--on all three major networks--and nothing else was on the radio or TV until he was finished. And nobody talked back! The other party, of course, had their prepared statements and reactions on the news programs; but there was no idea that just because the President was of one party, the other party should expect to be able to give a response to the nation. We clearly do not have the same respect for authority in this country that past generations have had--not for authority at any level, of any type. When the President speaks, we want to talk back! When leaders lead, we're not always so eager to follow. Those wielding authority had better be careful how they use that authority because they may just find they don't have any. This is not altogether bad, of course. Blind, unthinking obedience is not what any President or responsible leader desires or deserves. And many people feel that their government has lied to them too many times about important things. This goes all the way back to Vietnam and Watergate and Iran-Contra, and maybe even weapons of mass destruction. I'm sure there were other times in our country's history when people suspected that in some ways, the government was being less than totally truthful; but it was also often conceded that there may be in fact good reasons for withholding certain information. People at least felt relatively sure that the government had the best interest of the country at heart. All that old-fashioned respect for authority is pretty much a thing of the past now; and it affects the way we relate to government, to the church, to our teachers, to business executives, and to political and civic leaders in the public and private sector, all the way from Main Street to Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. It costs us muchof our sense of national unity and sense of purpose, too. This national division and skepticism can be reversed. Men and women of good faith, from all across the political spectrum could make a commitment to bring our country together. Leaders must take seriously the call for integrity that is coming from so many quarters across the nation. We need to pray that true statesmen will emerge for next year's elections. We need to pray for national revival that will bring our nation back to godly principles in politics at home and abroad. And with all that, we need to pray that God will teach us again the proper and respectful way to relate to those in authority over us; and will put people in authority again who understand their responsibilities to be a sacred trust from the Almighty. Then, and only then, will we be more eager to listen than to respond, to act out of duty rather than in defiance, to rally in support of common goals, rather than talk back to the President!

1 Timothy 1:12-17, September 11-17, Year C:

In this passage of this first epistle to the young pastor Timothy, Paul gives thanks for the mercy and grace shown to him by God. He is thankful that God put him in the ministry, though he was formerly a blasphemer. But he says that the reason he was enabled by God was because the apostle's persecution of the church and of Christ was done in ignorance. He affirms that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom "I am chief." The apostle believes that he is to show long-suffering, as a pattern for those who will later come to believe in Christ. Then of course, the passage closes with one of the most powerful, beautiful, and all-encompassing verses of benediction in all of Scripture. God's grace relates directly to our weakness, His pardon to our sin. Paul stresses in this chapter that it is not important just to know the gospel, but also to believe it. It is God who enables ministry, but not simply for the purpose of winning arguments. (One commentator reminds us that "argument does not prove spirituality.") God can transform anyone. Though we are unworthy, God still graciously calls us to Christian duty and gives us responsibilities in His service. As we minister and serve God in the 21st century, some are reluctant to use terms such as "God" or "grace." To the apostle, grace is everything; and we represent God's mercy and grace to a lost and dying world. It is God and His grace, and the communication of these concepts, that distinguishes the church from all other institutions. This is our unique contribution to the well-being and "rightness" of the world. God's grace is glorious. We proclaim the wonder of God's grace. We can affirm with Paul by example that "if I can be saved, anyone can be." In an impersonal and intense world, people need relationships--relationships with God through Christ and with other loving and caring people. The church is incarnational in the sense that, for many people, we are the only evidence of God's grace that they will ever see. Some today like to showcase their sin. But the only reason to recount our sin is to show the power of God's mercy and grace toward us. We are to point people to Christ, not to ourselves. This passage also highlights the majesty of God, especially in 1:17. God alone is capable of such grace and of dealing with the incomprehensible brokenness we see throughout His creation. Computer technology, science, physics, and "New Age" philosophy all pose challenges for the believing Christian. When we consider, however, the natural world and the capabilities God has given His creatures, these problems should not concern us. Think about the capacity of your own mind, the homing instincts of certain animal species, and even the design of the universe. The existence of God and the validity of His Scriptures should pose no problem to the Christian. God is truly the Majestic King-- eternal, immortal, invisible, all-wise, who alone is worthy of our worship and praise. How could we even imagine that our modern concepts are any match for an eternal God? We need not fear the new century so long as we worship,through Jesus Christ, the eternal God and King.