Why I Can No Longer Call Myself a Christian

I've been hearing something emerge in recent articles and talks that words matter and a lot of words have lost their meaning. Krista Tippett, host of On Being, said that words like love and compassion have been used so much that they have lost their meaning. I just read a recent article in the Washington Post about how words used by the Nazis are making a resurgence in Germany and some politicians are trying to give them new meaning. That has gotten me thinking about the term Christian and what it has come to mean in America.

The book of Acts tells us that after the death and resurrection of Christ it was in Antioch that the apostles and followers of "The Way" were first called "Christians." Relevant Magazine does a pretty good job in this article of describing how they got to be described as "little Christs" for their radical divergence from the society at large. The fire of God was falling, everywhere they went people were getting healed and delivered, and they lived in such a radical selflessness and generosity in their communities that there were no poor among them. Paul and Silas were accused of "causing trouble all over the world" (NIV) or turning "the world upside down."(ESV) Something they were doing was upending the way things had been done.

And what was the result? Thousands were added to their number daily. It frightened the establishment.

Now flash forward to America right before the inauguration of Donald Trump. Is the establishment frightened of Christians? No, quite the contrary, they pander to evangelicals! Are people flocking to our churches to become part of our communities? No- the institutional church has steadily been on the decline. Are we going against the establishment, the wealth inequality, and the injustice in a radical example to the world of selflessness and generosity? If we are I do not think the world has taken notice.

A friend recently told me it was not her church who brought her soup when she was sick (even though they were aware she had been very ill for about a month), it was her yoga friends.

As many of you know I was fired after the birth of my son and have since had to go on government assistance. During this time the bishop of the church I used to attend came and preached on the community from Acts 2 and how they lived in fellowship and held everything in common. Afterwards I wrote to one of the pastors and said it was very hard to listen to that message as I was struggling to have enough food to get through the month to feed my family. I am still waiting for that denomination to sell off some property and help us out!

Ok, so before you might think I am just cynical or speaking out of hurt from the church let me just stop you, I have been very involved in every congregation I have attended. I have sought to bring about change to the behemoth that is the institutional church. I was very hurt by a brother and I forgave him and went to another congregation and then came back to support his ministry again. I have done the work of reconciliation.

But I'm not doing it any more. Today, watching the demise of Aleppo something in me just screamed, "I can have nothing more to do with this!" I was watching a video where a middle aged man cried out in the streets, "WHERE ARE THE MUSLIMS?" In their final video goodbyes to the world I watched them say, "WHO WILL GET ANGRY FOR ALEPPO?" They were begging, pleading, screaming, for anyone to help them... and we could not, did not answer. When that man cried out, "Where are the Muslims?" my spirit cried out, "WHERE ARE THE CHRISTIANS?!?"

I don't know where we are, but we're not seeing Jesus standing in the lowly places like St. Ignatius said. Instead we're defending the billionaire class and their right to exploit others with our prosperity gospel. We're too busy as a nation serving Mammon.

So folks I'm out! I will NO LONGER CALL MYSELF A CHRISTIAN. I don't want to be a part of what that has come to represent. I don't want to be lumped in with evangelicals- God bless the kind and caring souls that I know many of you to be. Like Paul said to the Corinthians, "I have resolved to know nothing except for Christ and him crucified." And I mean it. This is not a phase. If I have to check a box of what religion I belong to I will check other. If you ask me what religion I am I will say "child of God." But there is no way I'm going to be called Christian if this is what it has come to mean.

Gandhi perhaps famously said it best, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. The materialism of affluent Christian countries appears to contradict the claims of Jesus Christ that says it's not possible to worship both Mammon and God at the same time."

If you are my friend and you are a Christian, you can still be my friend. I may visit church, but for me there is no more belonging to a church. I will seek to instead live out koinonia from my home and EVERYONE is welcome.

This is not a reaction. This has been a long time in the coming. And I think many people feel this way.

*Disclaimer- I know that a good number of individuals are doing great work for the poor and the vulnerable. I'm not talking to you. I'm talking about what our institutional church has come to mean. I'm talking about OVERALL what the term Christian has come to mean. So if you or somebody you know IS actually living the Gospel. Great job! Keep up the good work!*

What Issues REALLY Matter to Jesus?

Let's settle the matter of what issues are most on the heart of Jesus right now... he makes this easy for us because he was good enough to tell us:
"Woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices- mint, dull, and cummin. But you have neglected the MORE IMPORTANT MATTERS of the law- JUSTICE, MERCY, and FAITHFULNESS. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."

Right before that he says that all the commandments can be summed up in Love God with everything you've got and then Love your Neighbor as Yourself.

So love the poor as yourself. Do you need healthcare? So do they. Love the Muslim as yourself. Do you want your kids to be safe here? So do they. Would you like it for someone to take one sin in your life & then define you by it and enact legislation punishing you for it? Well stop doing it to gays.

It's great to tithe & give to missions. But Jesus says it's more important to actively correct the wrongs in the world. That's justice. Give mercy. Let people off the hook! Are they poor because they're lazy? Are they addicts? Mercy triumphs over judgment. Help them anyway!

Jesus was accused of being a partier & a glutton because of his close association with the tax collectors & prostitutes. He says these welfare mommas are going to enter the kingdom before you because the LEAST in the kingdom are greatest. The LAST will be first.

There is your gospel lesson for today little children.

Redefining the Gospel

For too long the gospel being preached by Christians has been this- an angry wrathful God sent his son Jesus to save you from his vengeful judgment, which would otherwise send your sorry soul to an eternal burning torture in Hell, but thanks to Jesus who took all that punishment on himself, you can live with that now not so scary God forever in heaven when you die. This is the doctrine of penal substitution and it isn't the gospel folks. I hate to burst your hell-loving, wrathful sociopath God bubble, but that doctrine didn't come about for around 1000 years after the death of Christ.

So that's why I'm saying that is NOT (not not not) the Gospel. No wonder people don't think that's GOOD NEWS!!!!!

This is why I'm going to use the Bible to actually preach the real Good News and if you think I'm a blasphemer then you can go back and read your Bible yourself and talk it over with your pastor. Or comment. (please hear snark in last sentence)

For too long the Gospel has been "believe in Jesus and you will be saved from Hell." So you believe and that's all that is required of you. You can lack compassion and be a judgmental jerk but you're good because you're saved from hell. You don't really have to DO anything. That is not the Gospel. The Gospel is transformative. It makes the lives of people BETTER. You are not saved from Hell, you are brought into the KINGDOM. Actually read the Gospel of Matthew alone and see how many times Jesus says Kingdom.

Matthew 25
The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

James 2
Faith and Deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[d]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[e] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

The I'm Sorry Movement

I'm proposing one simple way for Christians of any value system to show the Muslims, gays, immigrants, & people of color that we are in solidarity with them right now:

The I'm Sorry Movement

Whether it was you personally who has ever been insensitive, your church that has been exclusive or condemning (even inadvertently), or even just someone else with the name Christian who was really a jerk- let's show our brothers & sisters that we do not condone how they have been treated- because our silence tells them otherwise.

I'll start... I'M SORRY to everyone who has ever had the person of Christ misrepresented to you in word, action, or attitude. I HONOR those of all faiths or none at all. I say that I recognize that you are kind people who hold good values, even if they are not the same as mine. I'm sorry for how you have been judged by Christians & blamed for our nation's problems. I'm sorry to those who have had abortions & rather than being loved by the church have been targeted & condemned. When you needed us we failed to be there for you. I'm SO SORRY to the LGBTQ community for how horribly you have been judged & treated. I'm sorry to the refugee who we have failed to welcome in your time of deepest need. May those who profess Christ TRULY reflect on his message & example of LOVE this season in how we treat ALL of his children during Advent & every day!!
Please forgive me as someone who professes Christ & please forgive my church.

Redefining the Gospel, cont.

Redefinition of the Gospel cont... For too long the emphasis on the gospel has been sin & belief. Repentance has meant confessing sin & faith means saying the sinner's prayer to accept salvation in Jesus. Jesus did not actually say this. He said "Repent & believe the Good News! The kingdom of God is near." Repent is the Greek word metanoia which is where we get the word metamorphosis. It's changing your mindset so you can embrace the mindset of the kingdom. It's going in a different direction, not some mournful, guilt-ridden cry fest at the altar.

So this matters because if you think that what matters to God is your sin & your belief, then it is very easy to condemn others who do not share your beliefs or who you believe to be sinful.

When Mary Jesus' mother & his brothers wanted a word with him while he was preaching he said, "Here are my mother and brothers! Whoever DOES God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Once again it's not about having "the absolute truth" through believing the Bible, like I believed as an evangelical. In my experience that view tends to make people judgmental & lack compassion because you are right & everyone else is wrong. Plus it highlights their sin. But if you actually have to DO something to be a part of Jesus & not just believe... well maybe people who don't call themselves Christians are actually more Christlike.

Just a thought...

The Unexamined Life

The unexamined life is not worth living...

I have a lot of opportunity to examine things in my life and in the world. I am a virtual shut-in, in a world confined by the constant demands of small children for a snack, laundry, potty training, and the lack of funds to do pretty much- anything. So I get to analyze a lot of what I'm experiencing and meditate on what I believe and why.

So today I'm asking why it is Christians have been pretty silent and complacent in the face of almost every global crisis today. Like the hell on earth that is Aleppo. Like the death of black men by public police execution in our streets. I could go on. By now you know what I care about.

I have spoken out about the lack of compassion, but now I am reflecting on the role of various doctrines in the formation of our modern Christian theology. It appears that much of Christian life is focused on belief and is fragmented into disconnected boxes from there. The essential component of Christianity has been reduced to 'believing the right thing' or being the exclusive holder of Truth or even having the correct interpretation of Scripture. Once you are secure in being the exclusive holder of Truth with a superior Scriptural interpretation, you can then begin fragmenting your life further by separating the spiritual from the sinful. Christians then become essentially Gnostics- or those who believe that the flesh is evil and corrupted and that the soul is spiritual.

This enables all of life to be boxed and shelved. Sunday is the day of worship. Worship is singing and praying and listening to a sermon. Doing every day things like chores or going to work is not spiritual. We must constantly look for ways to get back to being spiritual through Bible study, or more church activities, or (if you are Charismatic) another conference. If you are legalistic or driven by performance then there is community service, if you are evangelic or non-denominational there are always church programs and ministries. But life is a constant war between the secular and the sacred and we never feel spiritual enough.

Brother Lawrence wrote the classic "Practicing the Presence of God." Legend has it that he had so incorporated his spirituality into his everyday chores that people would come from all over just to watch him wash the dishes because he would begin to levitate. He discovered that every aspect of life is spiritual and allowed even the most mundane of tasks to become an exercise in meditation, an act of worship.

So what does this have to do with Aleppo or Black Lives Matter? I believe it is this very disconnection- the separation of the physical and the spiritual, and the fragmentation of our devotional and secular life that has cut us off from the deep well of compassion within that allows us to live a life of activism that is fueled by our faith. We have become overrun with busyness and have become disconnected from community. We have gone along with church doctrine at the expense of the message of Christ. We have allowed politics to define and usurp our mandate by Christ to concern ourselves with the least of these.

A few days ago in my time of meditation I heard the words "Hold fast" in my spirit. This is where it is found in Scripture:
Revelation 3 (NIV)
To the Church in Sardis
3 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

We are approaching some unprecedented times of challenge for our nation. The reemergence of fascism is on the rise. White nationalism is on the rise. 65 million refugees are in need of shelter. Where will our courage be found as Christians? Will the current state of our faith suffice?

We must allow the message of Christ to permeate every segment of our lives and being. It is no longer good enough to be Sunday or morning devotional Christians. Our times demand more of us. The world demands more of us. It is time to reevaluate what we truly believe.

I hope that when Jesus speaks to us in this time we will hear "When I was naked you clothed me, when I was hungry you fed me," and not "You are lukewarm and I will spit you out of my mouth."

Walking Evidence of Healing

Praying for people to be healed takes more than just faith- it takes a commitment to put yourself out there when there is the chance for disappointment, rejection, or even humiliation. A lot of times you pray for someone and you don't see any visible difference. But sometimes you do. And that is awesome.

Last week at church Jeff (the soon to be husband for you just checking in) got a word of knowledge that there were 3 women and 2 men in the church who were dealing with IBS/digestive issues/Crones disease. A word of knowledge is a gift of the Spirit where God reveals an issue that he wants to heal. A lot of times He reveals the issue by someone feeling someone else's pain, or through a vision of the affected body part or condition, or through just saying the condition. 

When I found Jeff he was praying for a man in a wheelchair who was one of the 2 men who had a digestive condition. I noticed the man when I walked past him in the service and I thought to pray for him but didn't. But when Jeff was already praying for him I decided that was my opportunity. While Jeff was praying for his digestive condition, I heard a word of knowledge for diabetes. I asked the man if he had diabetes and he confirmed that he did. So I prayed for God to remove the diabetes and for all blood sugar levels to return to normal. After I prayed for the diabetes I got the impression of the man waking around the room. I asked the man if he could walk. He said he had a disk problem in his back that caused him pain and the doctor said he could probably only walk a little with the help of a walker, which he did not have. I prayed for his lower back where he had the disk problem. He said he didn't feel the usual pain any more. I asked the man if he wanted to try and get up and walk. He walked several steps with assistance, but said he had a hole in the bone in his lower leg. He sat down & I prayed for that too.

The next week I almost missed it, but Jeff pointed out that he was WALKING to give his offering! The man walked about 50 feet by himself with his wheelchair and without a walker! When I saw that I started to tear up! The man in the wheelchair was WALKING! PRAISE JESUS. 

So this is why we pray. We pray for people to be healed because we know it is ALWAYS God's will to heal. Sometimes we see it and sometimes we don't, but man it is good to see it!