At The Border

Watch this then we can talk:

Now…I don’t know what you’re thinking or how you’re feeling right now. Maybe you’re impressed by the apparent humility of this video. Maybe it touches something deep inside you and sets you to thinking, “That’s right! Christianity isn’t about all the ‘Thou Shalts’ and the ‘Thou Shalt Nots.’ It’s about showing the kind of love and compassion that Jesus showed.”

There is something compelling about this clip. The participants are willing to ask tough questions, wrestle with them and discuss them openly. And for some Christians, this process of asking questions seems like an off-limits exercise in temporary heresy. Sometimes, it is helpful when someone vocalizes the doubts you’re feeling.

As I drew near my time in high school and during my first year or two of college, I lived in a world of questions. And many of the questions I was asking seemed to blow apart the faith I had grown up knowing.

I questioned the Bible: How did we get it? What does it mean to say the Bible is God’s Word? Why are there apparently contradictory statements in the Bible? How are we supposed to apply stuff written 2,000 years ago to our world today?

I questioned my theology: If Jesus’ death can cover my sin, why can’t it cover the sin of every person who has ever lived? Can’t everyone be saved? Is it naive to say Adam and Eve really existed? Does it even matter if they did? What does it mean to say Jesus was “the Son of God”? Does Scripture really teach that He was God in human flesh?

I questioned my politics: Can Christians really support war in any circumstances? Are Christians supporting institutionalized murder when they support pro-death penalty politicians? Should Christians really engage in a corrupt and corrupting political system? Shouldn’t our society be doing more to support the financial needs of its citizens?

Basically, I asked many questions. A lot of them were rooted in my study of Scripture itself. I was really digging into the Bible. It seemed to me that some Christians were only reading the parts of the Bible that supported their point of view. And that troubled me. I didn’t want to be a person who simply settled into a default position because it felt comfortable. I wanted to look Truth in the face and embrace it, even if it threatened to tear my secure convictions apart.

I was a religion and philosophy major in school. My profs were people who not only knew about the questions I was asking, they could ask them better than I could! And many of them gave answers that stood in direct opposition to anything like what I had grown up calling, “The Christian Faith.” For a time, it was exhilarating to rub shoulders with such intellectuals, people willing to ask the tough questions, people willing to propose risky and daring answers:

Question: “Why does the Bible appear to contradict itself?”
Answer: “Because it does! The Bible was a book written by human beings with all the flaws, foibles and factual limitations of humans living in a pre-scientific world. It was a book written by sometimes sexist men and culturally exclusive theologians.”
Question: “Doesn’t that mean the Bible is not God’s Word?”
Answer: “No. The Bible is God’s Word to us! When we open the Bible, we can encounter the Word of God speaking to us in our circumstances. It’s not God telling us historical facts, providing timeless moral truth, or teaching culture-transcending theology. It is God using people’s stories to impact the story we are writing with our lives here and now. The ‘truth’ you’re looking for–strict accuracy in reporting events–isn’t the ‘truth’ the Bible carries.”
Question: “Doesn’t that mean we can’t have certainty about a lot of things?”
Answer: “Yes. That’s exactly what it means. But just because we can’t have certainty doesn’t mean we can’t live with conviction. We can live in the conviction that the way Jesus lived is the best way to live, that living a life of hope and love can make this world much better.”

For a while, I flirted with this version of faith. We went on a number of dates, had some good times, and pushed the limits together. But in time, I came to realize that this kind of thinking was not only untrue, it was dishonest. It pretended an humility it did not possess. It paraded an intellectual rigor it was incapable of sustaining. Though it sounded like a deep struggle to come to grips with life, an unfinished project of intellectual exploration, I found it to be an already completed journey into a barren, walled-in wasteland.

I’ll tell you what I mean by that in my next post.

Over the years, I’ve developed, borrowed, stolen and/or unconsciously sublimated a number of different truth-conveying illustrations. I thought I’d share one with you today. I call it the “Cornfield Fallacy.”

The Context: You’re having a conversation with someone about the reality of eternal punishment and/or the idea that our “good deeds” aren’t enough to save us.

The Illustration: Look, part of the problem here is that you’re comparing your “good deeds” to those of people around you. When you look at yourself, or someone you consider “good,” in comparison to other people, you’ll be able to say, “This person is better than that person.” But that’s not how God sees our good deeds. In fact, Scripture says that all our good deeds are like filthy rags when compared to God’s perfect holiness.

It’s kind of like a cornfield. When you walk down a row, it’s easy to see that some stalks are taller than others. Some are less productive than others. Some are more green, some more brown. But if you were standing on a 25-foot platform, the differences would become less apparent and important. If you were orbiting in the International Space Station, the question of corn-stalk height becomes irrelevant.

When we look at ourselves in light of God’s incredible perfection, we find our relative standards are absolutely inadequate. When we stand bare before him, we realize what holiness is and how sinful we are. The issue isn’t who we are in comparison with other people, it’s who we are in comparison to God’s standards and God himself.

Like every illustration, it has its flaws and limits. But…I’ve found it useful.

Well, we’ve taken all the questions that came in to our Why? site (www.whatisyourwhy.org) and condensed them down into our final 14-week list. At Corinth, we’ll be preaching through these 14 questions starting in June. Here you go:

Why am I Here?
Does Christianity provide an answer for the question that everyone asks? Is there really an answer to this question anyway, or do we just make it up as we go along?

Why Should We Take the Bible Seriously?
How can a book written 2,000 years ago really be true today? In a world of science and technology, in an increasingly globalized world, how can a book written by desert nomads really claim to be God’s Word?

Why is Jesus the Only Way?
Isn’t it arrogant for Christians to say that Jesus is the only way? Doesn’t this kind of statement cause war, division and strife? Shouldn’t religious communities focus on building unity and diversity in our world?

Why are So Many Christians Hypocrites?
If Christianity is true, then why are there so many bad Christians? Why do those who claim to love Jesus have messed up families and personal lives?

Why are There So Many Denominations
If Christianity is true, then why can’t Christians agree? Doesn’t the existence of hundreds of different denominations mean that there are no core convictions in “Christianity”? Doesn’t it mean that the Christian claim to be “uniting” is really just hogwash?

Why Are You a Christian Rather Than a Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist?
If you were born in Saudi Arabia, wouldn’t you be a Muslim? If you were born in India, you’d be a Hindu or Buddhist, right? Isn’t Christianity a culturally determined view of life and God?

Why is the God of the OT So Harsh When Jesus Seems So Loving?
When I read the Bible, it seems to be talking about two very different Gods. One talks about a God who commands the Jews to commit genocide. The other talks about a God who forgives prostitutes and welcomes sinners into his presence. So, what’s up with that?

Why is it Important to Believe in the Trinity?
Isn’t the doctrine of the Trinity an invention of the church hundreds of years after Jesus lived? Didn’t people vote on the doctrine, and wasn’t it highly disputed? So why believe in the Trinity?

Why Does God Make Such a Big Deal About Sex?
Since God made us as sexual creatures, shouldn’t we get past all the shame and judgmentalism of the past? Can’t we just celebrate the joy of our sexuality and accept that different people find joy in different types of relationships?

Potpourri Sunday #1
Rapid fire Q&A with Don and Adam picking questions from a bowl.

Why Would a God of Love Create a Place Like Hell?
God tells us to love and forgive. He tells us that we should turn the other cheek and live peacefully. But he also created an eternal torture chamber called Hell. What’s up with that?

Why Have Some People Used the Bible to Justify Racism?
In the past, Christians have owned slaves and upheld racist practices. They’ve used the Bible to justify this. Does that mean the Bible condones racism?

Why is it so Hard to Figure out God’s Will for My Life?
Some people use a Magic 8-ball. Others use tarot cards. I know the Bible gives guidance on the “big issues,” but how am I supposed to figure out what I’m supposed to do with my life?

Potpourri Sunday #2
Rapid fire Q&A with Adam.

4. Jesus is the Key to Meaning:

When we say, “Jesus Wins.” we’re making a bold confession: Jesus is ultimate. If you don’t know Jesus, then you don’t know the most important reality in history. You’ll only ever understand human history if you know Jesus. You’ll only ever understand Scripture if you know Jesus. You’ll only ever understand suffering and struggle if you know Jesus. Looking at life without Jesus is like looking at a beautiful stained glass window from the outside. But much worse.

Jesus Wins.

To Receive a Free “Jesus Wins” sticker, send a SASE to:
Borderlands (JW)
129 100th Street SE
Byron Center, MI 49315

3. Only One Identifier has Ultimate Value:

We employ all kinds of things to identify ourselves. People pasted “Obama/Biden” or “McCain/Palin” bumper stickers on their cars last year. They wear their Cubs or Sox or Tigers hats. Some even print messages on their skin. In hundreds of different ways, we identify ourselves by the who or what with whom or which we affiliate. When we say, “Jesus Wins.” we’re saying: All these identifiers will ultimately pass away and mean nothing. The only one that has ultimate value is our identification with Jesus Christ. Whether or not we knew and loved Jesus will mean much more than whether or not we were rich, poor, Republican, Democrat, American, African, black, white, brown, male, female etc., etc., etc.

To Receive a Free “Jesus Wins” sticker, send a SASE to:
Borderlands (JW)
129 100th Street SE
Byron Center, MI 49315

Two words. One Period. A very big message. “Jesus Wins.” says a lot of things without using a lot of words. Here is the second of (at least) four possible meanings:

2. Death will not Triumph:
I recently watched an artsy film authored by one of the most repsected writer/producers of our day. The film explored a basic question: How can we live a life of meaning in light of death? Though brilliant in its artistry and execution, the film was an exercise in emotional endurance. “Depressing,” doesn’t capture the overall effect. You see, the way we answer the question of meaning will have everything to do with the worldview that gives it context! If this life is all there is, then Death has the final word! But when we say, “Jesus Wins.” we say that Death itself will die (props to John Donne)! Because we believe Jesus triumphed over death, we can live in the assurance that we will as well.

Icing on the cake, John Donne:
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou thinkst thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me…
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die!

To Receive a Free “Jesus Wins” sticker, send a SASE to:
Borderlands (JW)
129 100th Street SE
Byron Center, MI 49315

Two words. One Period. A very big message. “Jesus Wins.” says a lot of things without using a lot of words. Here is the first of (at least) four possible meanings:

1. Jesus is the Only Way: In the marketplace of ideas, there are a host of competing worldviews. Some are overtly theistic, others are atheistic, all are ultimately religious. Every person lives his life according to some basic convictions about reality (faith). Some believe that human reason, unguided by any God-given Revelation, will lead humans to happiness. Others are convinced that the world and everything we percieve are maya, “illusion,” that we must escape. When we say, “Jesus Wins.” we’re saying: Every religious claim, perspective and practice must ultimately be measured against Jesus Christ. Every single person who has lived will one day discover that Jesus alone provided the salvation that every human heart seeks.

To Receive a Free “Jesus Wins” sticker, send a SASE to:
Borderlands (JW)
129 100th Street SE
Byron Center, MI 49315

About this time last year, I was working on an essay about the parallels between the modernist-fundamentalist controversy at the turn of the 20th century and the “emergent” brouhaha of today. Thought I’d share parts of that (never-fully-finished) essay with you:

When we look back at the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy, we can find too many instances of uncharitable language and unnecessary exclusion. The great danger of differentiation is that one might develop a taste for it. But an equally great danger lies on the side of undifferentiated inclusion. Political parties can afford a big tent philosophy. After all, they are concerned with winning elections. But the Truth of our faith is not a matter of ballot boxes. We are not unified by common pragmatic ends for the world, but by common confessions of God’s work in the world.

I have no doubt that both Modernists and Fundamentalists wanted to do good things in culture. This fact has too often been overlooked. But wanting to do good things really isn’t the touchstone of orthodoxy. What separated the Fundamentalists from the Liberals was that Fundamentalists said social action guided by ancient wisdom was not enough.

You see, the liberals of the early 20th century decided it was “enough” to care about the world and the betterment of humankind. When the historical accounts of Scripture came to be an embarrassment, they were comfortable embracing the moral instructions. For them, it was “enough” to accept the teachings of Jesus. It was “enough” to view His Return as a symbol of hope. It was “enough,” for some, to view his Resurrection as a beautiful metaphor of the emerging body of believers with the message of compassion, hope and love that could transform the world (aided, of course, by the powerful right arm of Enlightenment science).

The liberals of the 21st century seem to be treading a similar path. While the voices of the Emergent Church have hailed postmodernism as a tonic to Enlightenment obsession with things like “proof,” “fact,” and “objective,” they have, I fear, failed to grasp the modern that follows the post. Today’s pop-culture power-brokers are no less convinced than their modernist forebears that things like Virgin Births and Resurrections and Garden of Edens don’t really happen. And they are just as willing to give Christians a “place at the table” if we spiritualize these historical events, sign their social contract and shut up about things like exclusive truth confessions.

And, so it seems, the 21st century liberals are playing ball. Where the doctrine of inerrancy might raise the red flags of ideological pluralists, they pretend the issue is a time-bound shibboleth. Where the doctrine of the Virgin Birth might call for seemingly naïve disregard for the “advances” of modern biblical criticism, they privatize the event as a matter of personal belief and allow others to keep jumping on the trampoline of faith. Where the doctrine of substitutionary atonement offends feminist interpreters, they limit Christ’s sufferings to the imperial forces of Rome rather than the just wrath of God. And where the doctrine of Christ’s return to usher in a new heavens and new earth might suggest environmental escapism, they minimize eternal issues and maximize our capacity to remake the planet.

Like the liberals of the early 20th century, the New Liberals are in the business of redefining the Gospel. With an incredible capacity for selective reading (of both history and Scripture), they have distilled the “secret message of Jesus” into a new elixir that, surprisingly, matches the our dominant cultural draught exactly.

Mentioned this earlier, but we’re posting audio from the class I’m currently teaching on world religions (What Do They Believe?). Check out the class link (see under “Pages” on your right). Here’s the audio from session 3 (part 2 of a section on Hinduism):

Jude 3-4
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Sometimes when I’m speaking with a group of students, I’ll display two different pictures. One shows two people walking barefoot on a beautiful beach at sunset. The other looks down the barrel of a gun. “Which of these pictures,” I ask, “is a more accurate depiction of the Christian life on this side of eternity?”

Too many Christians live with a vacation mindset while we’re in the midst of a battle. Jesus promised us that we would face persecution, difficulty and opposition in this world. If we go into battle wearing sandals, we’re in trouble!

In this passage of Scripture, Jesus’ brother Jude gives us a warning: Truth is something you must fight to protect! There are all kinds of forces that will snatch it away from you if you let your guard down. The Enemy, Satan, is constantly bombarding you with images, ideas and values that, if embraced, will explode in your arms like a bomb!

If you are going to stand strong in the midst of this battle, you must fill your heart and mind with Truth from the Word of God. Each time you take up the Bible, open it and read with the eyes of faith, you are preparing yourself for to fight the good fight.