Love Wins

So, I read "Love Wins" the other day by Rob Bell. A friend of mine and I were discussing the press that this book was getting and I thought if I can give an opinion, it must be an informed one. So, reading the book would be a must.

Let me just say, as I was finding my way in the world of all things church and theology, I came through the evangelical movement called the Emerging Church. This was a focus among Christian leaders to incorporate a wider view of things theological and a broader approach that is inviting of the unchurched. As you probably know, I came through that-finding a home in the liturgical tradition. Rob Bell is a leader in the Emerging Church and pastors a church in Michigan.

"Love Wins" is getting a lot of press because Bell supposes that there is little reason for consideration of an eternal hell. His thoughts keep coming back to a God whose "steadfast love endures forever" whose "anger lasts for a moment but compassion for a lifetime." Amid many references to the Hebrew texts as well as the words of Jesus and Paul, he refutes the idea of an eternal hell based on the concept of a loving God whose love "would melt the hardest of hearts" given time. While refusing to be referred to as a universalist, this is universalist theology clearly.

Bell makes the point that there are few mentions of a literal hell and thus lists them in his book and explains their historical context. While this was a good idea, he leaves out several common references to hell in Paul's letters including the haunting picture in 2 Thess. 1. I understand what he was doing and the point he makes. It is certainly not in the orthodox stream of Christian theology.

Making references to the Bible, he also refers to some of the Church Fathers, one being Origen whose theology of hell has not been accepted by the wider Church. He also suggests reading C. S. Lewis' "The Great Divorce" for further reading on the subject, but fails to mention Lewis' "The Problem of Pain" which discusses openly Lewis' perspective on hell.

The point is (according to Bell)... Our God, who IS love will love you unconditionally unless you make the wrong choice in which he will send you to an eternal consciousness of torment with no chance to "repent." Put this way, I would also question this God of love. It was in this way that "Love Wins" was a good chance for me to question some things.

I don't know where I am on the whole hell thing. I am not sure that a Christian who doesn't believe in hell should be considered a "non-Christian." I do recognize that hell is a part of main-stream theology. I also know that Jesus wasn't really referring to hell in a lot of his stories. Another thing-- Hell is a great conversion tool as used by the Church in the middle-ages and even today.

One BIG BIG mistake in life is to make the here and now about heaven or hell later. This was not the way of life for Jesus. One thing about Jesus was that he lived "in the moment." Christ calls us to live in the moment... as Paul says, "redeeming the time, for the days are evil." Life is too short to make it all about something that is later. YES! One day we can live in the resurrection glory of Christ face to face, but let's live in this glory now... giving it "away" to all that come our way.

This isn't a critical review of Bell's book. It was a decent book with good points. Don't buy it though. It's too expensive. Take a couple of hours and go to the bookstore and read it. It will be good for you and fun to get out of the house and do something different. Be careful in reading it though. He needs a fact checker. He takes some verses out of context and misquotes some passages. This isn't a book that I would quote regularly, let's just say. Also, take it for what it is. It is not meant to be a dense treatise on things theological, it is rather one man's collected thoughts based on his understanding of scripture and his relationships with others.

Pass on the resurrection glory of Christ!

Annunciation of Our Lord

+ March 25 + Annunciation of Our Lord

What a special day this is. Frankly, I didn't know this first thing about this day until two years ago when this date fell on a Chapel service day at LR. Here we have a day celebrating Mary's willingness to serve the Lord. "Let it be done to me according to your word" she says to the Angel Gabriel. In so doing, she opens the door for redemption through Jesus Christ.

"Annunciation" comes from the latin, annunciare which means "to announce." It refers to Gabriel's announcement to the Virgin that God is with her and that she is highly favored among women. Protestants are often afraid of talking about Mary too much. This can be understandable in light of what tradition has made of her, however, consider her plight, or "blessing." Her blessing was one of profoundly unique obedience. In her was the redemption of mankind. In her was the doorway to the new covenant in Jesus. She was not herself our salvation, but she carried our salvation. We celebrate her special obedience to God's calling. We remember her today and venerate her willingness. We do so by being ourselves willing to follow God's calling. In her is our obedience and our selflessness through the power of the Holy Spirit. We look to her for inspiration to put off all doubt and embrace the mystery of true submission. Consider her mystery... virgin birth. We take this all to much for granted. We embrace the mystery of faith in the virgin birth and the deep calling to obedience in her willingness to be the "handmaiden of the Lord."

Set on saving the cosmos, he who set all things in order came down to it of his own volition. And, though being the Shepherd as God, for us he appeared like us as a man; and having called his own, like by like, as God he hears, alleluia. (From the Orthodox Salulation S)

Great and Holy Lent

Another Lent is upon us. Too many folks get confused about this peculiar time of year. What is Lent? Well, the term "lent" is but an old word for "spring." So, what goes on during this time of year?

To put this answer very simply, we remember who we are. We remember that we are called to a common life in Christ in devotion to him and to his cross and what it means. Our lives are lived in the way of the cross. We are called to deny ourselves which is why many take on Lenten "fasts." We must also remember that this time is just that, a time of sacrifice. It has become necessary for some folks to "take on" something during this time of year, something of a positive nature. Sometimes this is a great thing, and it is that in "taking on" something that they are giving up something else. For folks purposing to read scripture daily during Lent, they are giving up the time they would have otherwise had.

It is a season of fasting. In fasting we begin to see precisely that liberty we have in the grace of the resurrection. We are not bound by our addictions, but rather we have the grace through Christ to overcome them. Lent is a "high and holy" time so to speak. It is a time of instruction and learning. Historically, this would be the time that people wishing to join the Church would learn of Christ's teachings and then ultimately be accepted into the body at Easter.

It is a season of remembering our frail humanity. In remembering Christ's life and death, we think of our own mortality. Every day is another grain of sand through the hourglass of our lives. Every moment seeming shorter than the previous becomes more important and more fleeting the longer we live. Lent reminds us that our lives must be lived fully in Christ. Each grain of sand is redeemed in his great love. Each moment is a gem, priceless and worthy to be honored. It is a season to become keenly aware of our fragile nature and to thank God our provider for his many gifts.

Let us attend to those things which Christ would find worthy. Let us be about the reading of scripture and honest prayer. Devoting ourselves to his calling, let us not lose heart but look to the triumph of the cross and let the glory of the resurrection be our joy.

Activism Uncovered

I have become increasingly disenchanted with activist movements, particularly in the Christian circles. Activism has come to bother me because in many movements, what a group of people are against becomes more important than what the group is for. Think about some movements you know... there was the Tea Party movement who lobbied against gross spending among other things. There was the Obama campaign that was activism at its best, lobbying for change in its most vague. Immigration reform, income tax reform, human rights, gay rights, hunger, homelessness, veterans rights, women's rights, NAACP, NRA, PETA... just to name a few.

You must know that it is not my opinion that humans have no rights, that women shouldn't vote, and that animals deserve less than modest living. However, when it is done in the name of Jesus the activist, as opposed to Jesus the Son of God, there is a problem. Jesus was not an activist, he was God. Jesus welcomed all, but was also very exclusive. The inclusive nature of the Church today, in the name of Jesus the Activist is not consistent with the Bible or Historical Tradition. However, Christ does welcome all and his grace is free but not without a cost.

Giving to others done in the name of Jesus is great, but shut up about it already! Give to others because God has given to you and leave that between you and God and maybe your family. Thank God for the opportunity to work for justice, but let it go and know that it is for God that we do our work. For God's sake, stop bemoaning the fact that we live in the richest nation in the world and that we have it so good and start thanking God for placing you in a situation of invaluable resources. Feed the poor, tend the sick, and love your neighbor where ever you may be. Pray for your neighbor, Christian, Muslim or Jew.

Jesus was not an activist. Our work is not part of a campaign. Jesus was God and our work is an expression of faith and love. Work for human rights in your own household, in the name of Jesus the Son of God.

The Gospel of Heaven

Some thoughts from an amateur here...

It seems like christians often think of heaven. Why not? Life doesn't always go as well as we would like, misunderstandings abound, confusion is excessive. Like looking forward to going home after a bad day at work, heaven is a soothing balm to the wounds of our confusion.

It wasn't too long ago that I was thinking of some words which are said during the service of communion.. "Take and drink, this is the blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin... (and Jesus goes on to say) I say unto you, I shall not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I shall drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." Wow! What imagery! I think of family members who have gone before me and loved ones that I see struggling and think of us all at the "Marriage Feast of the Lamb" celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the redemption of all people through his precious gift of life. I think of how wonderful it will be to shed the struggle of faith here and put on new life there. I think of reunions and newness. But, BUT, I don't think this is what our faith is about, exclusively.

If you think about it... all of what Christ did centers around that word... life. He came to give us life abundantly... he gave his life that we could live... the epoch event of history is his resurrection giving life to all people. It doesn't make sense that our faith embraces heaven to the exclusion of the absolute fullness of life here! Eternal life begins this second. Heaven is the culmination of history centered around Jesus Christ to the glory of God the Father, through the Holy Spirit.

I am here today to point out a grave misunderstanding... Heaven is not the gift of God, Christ is. Christ didn't come to help you have a better day, but he came to seek you out and to restore your life, giving you absolute fullness, now. Do away with things that trap you and embrace life TODAY!

The Lord is risen, truly risen!

Advent Thoughts, continued...

This is such a weird time of year. You know, we all run around trying to find the best gift for the right person while running into all of the other people that are out doing the same thing. We proclaim this time of year a "season of giving." It is a time of love and hope, and peace even, but our actions speak only the opposite. Moreover, there are so many people just like me, writing articles and blogs observing the paradoxical nature of this time of year. Why don't we ever learn?

Maybe we should just embrace the horror of this time of year. It will relentlessly visit every year and test our resolve (a test that most of us fail). Thank God that he is full of kindness and slow to anger. Our actions speak of a frame of mind that just doesn't really take Jesus seriously. Let's just call it what it is. Jesus as a baby is a nice idea. It's a warm feeling at Christmas Eve when the family is singing Christmas carols at the midnight vigil. The power of the incarnation is lost on us. I can't even say that I really understand the implications of the incarnation of God in Christ. I know that it is integral, but it is lost on us for the commercial-ness of what has become Christmas.

People are sad. People are lonely. People die. Yet we run around listening to our cheery music, starbucks in hand, while the world falls away around us. Christ offers hope to all, but every year, we have only a hair of a grasp on the real "reason for the season."

What do we do? I know what I have said, heretofore is somewhat depressing, but there is hope. There is always hope. If we embrace Christ as a family of the redeemed, what a radical change there could be. Embracing the love and hope and peace of the season is the gift that keeps giving. Eating with family and looking in the eyes of those whom you love is a gift that gives beyond our imaginations. Really observe those loved-ones. Faults aside, embrace the love that Christ gives us for others. Let the love of the incarnate God become incarnate in our actions.

And, watch therefore, that you be ready. You never know when Christ will come, but he will. Even so, come resurrected Christ, come in your power and love, and come in the actions of your followers. Amen.

a year in review

I can't sleep, so I thought I would take the time to review my first year of married life.

For those of you who don't know, I got married December 19, 2009. So, this "year in review" is about 6 days short, forgive me, if you will.

What a year it has been! All the things people say about getting married are true. You plan and plan and before you know it, it's over, the honeymoon is over, and you're back in your apartment-back to life as usual. Only, life has been anything but usual. For some reason, I thought it would be easy to love someone that you are ALWAYS around, and I mean ALWAYS. But it has been a learning experience. Learning experiences are not bad at all, but they can be far from easy.

This time last year as we planned to be married, Meredith and I had no idea the riches God had in store for us our first year. Life with each other would be tested and we would need to learn basic survival skills living with each other. As any of you who know either Meredith or me, we aren't always the easiest people to be around. Meredith would have to finish her last semester of her Master's degree, and I my Bachelor's. I auditioned at some schools and got in, but we chose not to move at the time because of finances (we all know this story and I am sick of telling it). We moved to Charlotte which has been somewhat nice because it was our first experience like that, you know, moving. However, Meredith is looking forward to our moving somewhere that we have never lived. As you may know, Meredith grew up in Charlotte, and while she has come to consider Hickory her home, Charlotte is all too familiar. We lost a dear friend this year, our cat Moochie. I lost a little bit of time in my education, but I am still living, so I believe that I have survived the whole ordeal. We have lost a little square footage in our living space, but the ceilings are higher, so it seems a little bigger. We have lost our tempers only a few times in this year of being together, which I think is nothing short of a true blessing. As you may read in my entry two entries ago about my bemoaning my life and all that seems to be going wrong, there were a lot of things about which Meredith and I could have lost our tempers over, but we did not and I am glad that the Holy Spirit kept us cool.

So where are we now? Well, we're in Charlotte, haven't you been reading? Just kidding. We have grown to love each other even more. We have gotten to know a side of each other that has made our lives that much richer. I feel like we didn't get a newly wedded phase of marriage. I am not sure if that is a good thing or bad, but nonetheless, it seems to have been the case. Either way, our daily prayer is that God will strengthen our marriage and make it the happy union that he blessed December 19, 2009. I truly understood the sacramental nature of the marriage ceremony that day. The only thing that can compare to that is the sacramental nature of our continued love and our continued prayer for grace as we continue on this journey.

You might be wondering what the next step for us is... in that entry from a while back, I said that there would be changes. As I alluded a few paragraphs back, Winthrop University was not the institution for me. I hate it that I learned of this after paying a semester's tuition, but I have learned this lesson. I also learned that it's okay to slow down and learn from mistakes. For now, I have applied to other graduate schools for conducting and hope to hear something in January about auditions. I have learned not to plan so far ahead. I do know that my calling is in the Church. I don't know what I will do after the MM... maybe a DMA? maybe an Mdiv? Who knows? I pray daily for God's continued guidance and grace, and he gives it more abundantly than I could ever ask or imagine.

It is the power of Christ that moves within us and shapes us, this same power that raised him from the dead.

The Lord is truly risen!