Tag Archives: Christians

Memorial Day

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flagMemorial Day is next week (May 25), and I’ve been thinking about what that means.  Memorial Day is traditionally the first long weekend of summer, so maybe for you it’s just another excuse to break out the grill and water toys.  If you have to work that day, maybe it’s an inconvenience that that the Post Office and banks will be closed.  Some people will simply sleep in that day and not care why.  The American dream lives on.

The real reason for Memorial Day is so that we remember.  In this case, we remember the men and women who died in miltary service to our country.  Formerly known as Decoration Day, it began following the Civil War and was expanded to honor fallen soldiers of all wars during World War I. 

So, Memorial Day is strictly American and has nothing to do with the Bible, right?  Continue reading →

A Letter to the President

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Tom Foreman is a correspondent on Anderson Cooper 360.  I actually read through his letter the first time thinking that it was written by Anderson Cooper, and although it’s not, it is written by one of his guys and displayed by CNN on their website.  Foreman has been writing President Obama a letter each week since he took office.  Here is a sample of his latest offering, in reference to Christians in America, since Easter is this week:

People of faith sometimes mistake their own fist for the hand of God; non-believers sometimes mistake scientific findings for proof that God is not there. Faith by its very nature is not subject to proof one way or the other. If you had proof, it would not be faith. If you need proof, faith is far away.

And if we can learn to accept those opposing stances in each other, we’ll be a stronger nation where both the faithful and faithless can share the peace and wonders of our world…

Read the entire letter here, and tell me what you think.  Is Foreman’s take on religion in America just about right?

Answering Tough Questions

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question_mark_3dRichard Dawkins and Sam Harris are raising an army of New Atheists who are ready to do battle with the people of faith.  It is no longer enough to simply not believe in God; the “New Atheists” don’t think anyone else should have the right to either. 

The issues of creationism, evolution and Intelligent Design have been pushed into the forefront of debate in recent years, thanks to films by Ben Stein and the opening of the Creation Museum.  The battle of words takes place not just in pulpits or auditoriums, but in board of education meetings at the state and local level that determine curriculum and policy.  In both issues science, reason and logic are dragged through the mud by both sides in order to “prove” one side is right and the other wrong. 

Abortion is and perhaps always will be a hot topic in this country.  Continue reading →

What is Advent?

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advent_wreath_06The advent of something refers to its first appearing.  In our culture, Christmas has turned into the Christmas season.  This year it started about a week before Halloween, and will run until December 25th.  The “Holiday Season” will actually extend until January 1st.  All of this “Christmas creep” has a quite a negative effect on Christmas.

If we are celebrating the incarnation of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day, the two-month Christmas season detracts from the actual day itself.  I respond to the notion that our society stole Christmas from Christians and turn it into a secular holiday here.  What I would like to do in this post is comment on a purely Christian tradition of celebrating Advent. Continue reading →

The Abbreviated Jesus

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bargainjesusWhen I started this blog, one of the secret little promises I made myself was that it wouldn’t be an Internet Monk fan site.  Listening to his podcast is one of the reasons I started blogging myself.  If you read this blog, you know that from time to time I link other blogs with posts of interest.  Michael Spencer wrote a piece on the “abbreviated Jesus” this week, here’s a snippet that made me laugh out loud:

“The abbreviated Jesus can convincingly seem like the real Jesus, until you look and listen closely. Then it appears that he’s lost his laptop, his luggage and his cell phone. So for right now, he’s reading it all off the teleprompter.”

Read Do You Trust the Abbreviated Jesus?  at internetmonk for the full story.

The Bible, Uses and Misuses

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bible-pagesImagine you wanted to open a one gallon can of paint.  Most all of us have a flathead screwdriver lying around in the kitchen junk drawer or else someplace handy.  You grab that and pry the lid from the can.  It’s not exactly what the screwdriver was made for, but it does the job well enough.  The Bible is like that also. Continue reading →

American Christians

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crystalcathedralpipeorgansAmerican Christians are just not exactly the same as “Christians.”  That’s a sweeping generalization that I know is not true in some cases.  There are plenty of exceptions I’m sure.  But by in large, Christianity in America is light-years away from the first century church described in the New Testament. Continue reading →

The Importance of the Gospel in the New Teastament

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Paul wrote to the Galatians how astonished he was that they so quickly departed from the gospel that they were taught.  Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that he wanted them to only know Christ and him crucified.  Paul praised the church at Philippi for being partners with him in the gospel.  And in what I think is the most obvious lesson of the importance of the gospel, in Mark chp. 1 Jesus preaches his first sermon, telling people to repent and believe the gospel. 

Gal 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

1 Cor. 2:1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Phil. 1:3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Mark 1:14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Jesus himself gave the example: the gospel is the most important thing that the world needs to hear.  His earthly ministry was very short, and he had no time to waste.  But in his very first sermon he preached the gospel (Greek for “good news” by the way).  Recall the words of the Great Commission: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”  His first and last words to an audience was the importance of the gospel. 

The Apostle Paul wrote about two-thirds of what we call the New Testament.  It is clear on several occassions that he believed sharing the gospel was the most important use of our time and energy.  I’ve said this before: If I could talk to every preacher, I would say above all else, “Preach the gospel.”  The world needs to hear more than anything else Christians have to say that Jesus saves!  He is the way, the truth and the life.  God doesn’t just judge the world, he provides escape from judgement.  God doesn’t just hand out rules, he provides grace because he knows we will all fail at the rules anyway.  Our God is an awesome God, and the only way to come to him is by believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Let’s make that what people see and hear when they listen to Christians or come into our churches, not all the other junk they see and hear and think we are about. 

Be the salt, be the light, let’s cut the crap. 

Mission Statements

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This is not a paid endorsement for Wal-Mart, just an example of brand recognition.  For years Wal-Mart has associated themselves with the phrase “Always low prices.  Always.”  It is common practice these days for every corporation and business entity to have a mission statement.  Where I work is no different.  I teach at a private Christian school, and the administration feels very strongly about each of committing our mission statement to memory.  What is the value of the mission statement?  It makes sure that everyone stays on the same page.  Any organization can start off well, and forget what it is they are supposed to be doing.  It happens in business, it happens to churches, it could happen anywhere.  I’ve written before about what “God honoring, Christ centered” is doing in my banner.  It’s more than a slogan or motto.  It keeps me focused on what it is I’m doing here.  That’s what every mission statement is designed to do; let everyone know, including the people working there, what the stated objective is.  It helps people working together to focus. 

As Christians, we have a responsibility to be on mission.  Whatever your ministry is, we have a general statement of mission given to us all.  In Mark 16:15 Jesus told his followers to go into all the world and preach the gospel.  Four times in Revelation the people of God are described as being from every tribe, language and nation.  We are to spread the gospel message to all people in all parts of the earth.  If the good people at Wal-Mart know what their mission is, how much more should we the people of God remember ours?

Catholics, Protestants, and 400 denominations

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When you meet a person on the street and say that you are a Christian, what you mean by that and what a stranger thinks may be galaxies apart from each other.  Bill Maher has commented on how ridiculous it is to believe that a cracker turns into the body of a guy that’s been dead for 2,000 years, and your salvation depends on eating it.  That’s one way in which the outside world views Christianity.  And when other people hear that, that’s what they think of all Christians.  The reference is to the Roman Catholic teaching of transubstantiation, and most Protestants find it ridiculous also; yet they break the bread and take the cup.  That’s just one example of thousands where Christians disagree.

I wrote an article in April called Roman Catholic Christians  in which I listed several things that Baptists and Catholics agree on, all having to do with the work and divinity of Jesus Christ.  Recently there have been some new comments, and I’ve responded to those, but that’s so far back I decided to bring it up again.  Continue reading →