Looking Ahead…

Last week I was interviewed by fellow blogger TC Avey. She asked some tough questions about God, politics, America and morality. Here’s how I fielded them:

Q: How do you think God views America and us today?

I think God knows all and is omnipotent. He has a master plan for us and for the future. I think it is very difficult for us to comprehend from His perspective, to understand much of what is happening or what will happen in the future. The Book of Revelation is loaded with symbolism and inference. There is so much in the Bible historically and that which is outlined in our future in Revelation that we can see in our world today. I’m able to find peace in our world today knowing that His plan is perfect, and that I have the opportunity to spend eternity with Jesus. I’m very much the one in control of that, and that is what matters most.

Q: What do you think God would have to say regarding America’s churches and morals?

I believe we live in a challenging time historically; it’s difficult to view sometimes through the lens of life. However, I don’t think of 2013 as a part of a new “Dark Ages” – when there was intellectual, cultural or economic “darkness” in Europe after the decline of the Roman Empire, or a period of spiritual darkness, although there are statistics that show more and more people are turning from Christianity.

Being a total optimist, I see so many good opportunities in our world today, and for our future. When a guy like Paul can encourage others from the walls of prison I’m thinking that it’s good to look at the up side of things.

Sometimes I have to wonder what some folks are thinking as I’ve seen some pretty crazy stuff at church and/or involving “church people.” Then I read the Bible and see so many parallels to our churches today, both good and bad. So I’ve been thinking, is there really anything wrong with the world today? Think about it this way: All of humanity is “burdened” by one complicated gift from God – free will. Free will goes side by side with every war and dispute of political or religious nature. Consider all of humanity in a tug-of-war between good and evil. If you’re a believer you already know the outcome. That, to me, is extremely good news! The really excellent thing about free will is that we are able to control some of our influence and have an impact. And, in many respects, through free will we are given the choice for our future, eternally speaking. I like that.

Q: America seems to be at a cross roads both spiritually and politically, how should Christians be responding to those who think we are too active in politics?

I decided a while ago to stay away from writing about politics, although I certainly have opinion like I believe everyone should. I find it fascinating to research concepts like anarchy and equality, and how these concepts are defined by various points of view. Indeed, I chose to answer this question TC intentionally with one thought, there is an excellent book that I recommend to EVERYBODY, “How Do You Kill 11 Million People” by Andy Andrews. Pretty chilling how a leader got a bunch of people unknowingly on railroad trains to the gas chambers. Also very thought provoking about how we’re choosing our political leaders without really knowing them. Looks can be very deceiving at times. Great book, read it.

So many issues that we face today come down to politics and/or religion. Many people feel very strongly about both of these topics. Consider abortion, religious freedom, and gun control, also gay and equal rights, just to name a few. Now it’s easier than ever to express your opinion on a topic of interest. If you are in with social networking you’re exposed to it, and it’s very easy to let the evil one into your mind where dissention, dissatisfaction and pessimism soon begin to erode our dialogue. Some good things to think about, for sure.

Q: Has God been speaking to you about our nation? If so, what has He been showing you?

The three most optimistic demographics of our population are the Hispanics, African-Americans and the Millennial, according to a recent survey by The Barn Group. The Hispanics are also the fastest growing demographic in America. What does that say about our future? Well, to me, it paints a picture of change. Granted, some folks are not up for this type of change, however it may be a very healthy one for our people. True, this comes at a time when more and more people are turning from Christianity, but I think if we, as Christians, look at the underlying reasons and stop lying to ourselves and our congregations we will find the root causes of the exodus from our religion. We need look no farther than the folks of Jesus’ time who persecuted Him to realize that the church today has plenty of room for improvement – unfortunately we resemble those people when we only want to accept part of what He was all about, or only on certain days of the week. Do we really want to support concepts like religious freedom when it means we may be in a minority? Likewise, do you feel that many Christians are “loving your neighbors as yourself” and at the same time our churches and their groups often don’t resemble a true slice of community? Good questions that we each individually may want to consider.

I believe the core issue with many in our faith is that we have tremendously complicated what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus. I think Christianity is going through a shake down, if you will, where people are finally standing up and saying, you know, what I see over there isn’t really what Jesus is about. I don’t want to be a part of that (whatever that may be), but I do want to know and resemble Jesus.

In many ways, we’re seeing a return to traditions that once were downplayed. The true message of Jesus is displayed on the cross and in the Gospel. I’m so excited when I see at least a portion of our society and some of our churches embracing this. That is what it is really all about. Unfortunately not everyone will get it, and there will always be those who know what it’s all about and chose another path. I think our job is simply to love them anyway.

Many thanks to TC for the opportunity to share my thoughts on these important topics!

TC Avey is a Christian devoted to God, family, friends & nation. An aspiring author and avid reader, she also has a heart for animals. Her blog is Wisdom of a Fool. You can also follow her on Twitter.

The post God, Politics, America and Morality: Why I Remain So Encouraged first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post God, Politics, America and Morality: Why I Remain So Encouraged appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

pc or mac? If religious freedom were only that easy…

I was reading about Martin Luther King Jr. the other day. I wanted to learn more about this guy who has been credited with accomplishing more for our civil rights than possibly any other man in U.S. history.

While I was cruising the internet in search of information about MLK Jr. I found something most enlightening… a website popped up prominently in google searches that seemed to serve to expose a darker side of King. I read it and thought… why? Well, maybe you’re a white guy (like me) who isn’t all that concerned about civil rights (that would be where we differ). Indeed, the tone of racial injustice has improved in our society today, in comparison to the time of the civil rights movement in the 1960’s. I know I’m thankful for that. However, if your community is anything like mine, I would wager that the #1 issue facing your community and, specifically, the common ground to unity today, is hatred. I believe the only way to overcome this is through resolving our individual shallowness and having a personal relationship with Jesus. That’s letting Jesus into our heart. This only happens one person at a time.

Someone once said, “there’s safety in numbers.” While that may be true on a battlefield, we have to be very careful in our daily walk who we join hands with. This litmus test could be this: Am I honoring God in the journey that I’m traveling? I would contend that the mob that showed up on “Bloody Sunday” to turn back peaceful demonstrators walked down a very dark road of irrational fear and self-righteousness.

Hatred many times seems to be centered in our own shallowness. We feel threatened that a revelation will occur exposing a dark side of our personality or past, a blemish that we would rather erase instead of just accepting truth and grace and the fact that Jesus came for every one of us… and that we indeed all needed Him. Jesus came for all of us so we could have an opportunity to have a relationship with God through faith.

Just a blemish?

Whenever you feel threatened by hatred or an adversarial mob here’s what to do:

• Invite individuals to engage in direct, one on one conversations. Open it up to a direct dialogue one person at a time. Leave that door open… and see for yourself what happens. Hatred often hides in our communities in groups. One on one interaction invites people to develop meaningful dialogue to understanding. And peace. That’s all it takes with reasonable people.

Remember a guy named Jesus? There was a crowd involved in his persecution and lynching. And why did He have to go? A group of people felt threatened by His teaching. Hatred driven by ego… is this sounding all too familiar on MLK Jr. Day? I mean, think about it: Jesus continually put his pundits in their place. These religious people were taking a beating by Jesus as He was bringing their hypocrisy to light. They didn’t like being called out on it, so they thought He had to go. When it came right down to it, they thought Jesus came to save them from oppression of the Roman government… but in fact Jesus came to give them a more liberating freedom… He saved them from their sins and offered eternal life. That just wasn’t good enough for them, because they wanted to live by the law instead of by grace. Truth and grace… it just wasn’t good enough for them… or, should I say, they thought they didn’t need all of that because they (thought they) were too good for it. You see, Jesus came to serve the people, not enslave them. He offered civil rights… an equal opportunity to everyone.

Think about this… how much more fair can it get? Freedom equally offered to everyone. 

Well, then I started reading about religious freedom in an excellent article from The Barna Group. It seems there are a lot of religious folks who feel like their freedom of religion is being invaded and that there is more trouble coming for our society down the road.

Barna defined and 90% of Americans surveyed agree that “True religious freedom means all citizens must have freedom of conscience, which means being able to believe and practice the core commitments and values of your faith.” That seems reasonable to want the freedom to practice our faith, but here’s the reality of the situation, according to Barna: Americans feel their freedom is being undermined because some groups are trying to move society away from traditional christian values.

Hmmm, this seems suspect so let me add a quick comparison from the past…

Remember the Moral Majority? I wonder how well that would fly today? Or, is it really sinking or dead in the water? Maybe the grumbling that we hear about “religious freedom” is really a group that is feeling their influence is fading from a more prominent position that it held in the past? The Moral Majority had the idea that these good people should go out into the world and have influence. I’m suggesting that HOW that was accomplished was the disconnect between religion and Jesus. This seems to be the single biggest turn off to religion, when we’re using our influence in a manner that society perceives as self-righteousness and hypocritical.

Maybe we’re afraid to really give people the freedom of choice? 

The tide has changed, and the people who seem to be struggling the most and causing the greatest uproar are those having difficulty adapting to changes that would shift the focus from what they think others should be doing to more of a self-awareness focus of how I can be a better person. This is similar to the change we’ve experienced in leadership from an authoritarian viewpoint to one of empowerment. Think about it: The ones who are really making an impact and statement today are those like Louie Giglio who do good and say, “Hey, I’m going to be the one who sets my agenda, I’m not going to let you chose it for me. I’m focused on doing good things that are relevant.” That’s really what our world wants to be a part of, and where our opportunity to be influential lies.

Can we really say we love Jesus… and be a part of a lynching mob at the same time? Maybe it’s time to walk away from the crowd and our shallowness and hold the hand of The One who CAN walk on water?

Unfortunately, until we all decide to just get over ourselves and realize that society needs help… that we need help… we’ll continue to struggle with issues of morality, harmony and unity.

You may recall my take on morality and harmony, based on C.S. Lewis’ work:

“Morality, then, seems to be concerned with three things. Firstly, with fair play and harmony between individuals. Secondly, with what might be called tidying up or harmonising the things inside each individual. Thirdly, with the general purpose of human life as a whole: what man was made for: what course the whole fleet ought to be on: what tune the conductor of the band wants it to play.”C.S. Lewis, from Mere Christianity.

Can we have both Morality and Harmony?

Absolutely, it’s possible if we keep in mind there is an important connection… it’s humility. If we want to keep morality, harmony and humility in the same sentence, we have to look within. (Click To Tweet). That’s our greatest opportunity to have influence and create change within our society. Only then can we look outside our own heart, to our relationships where we have the ability to make a difference. If you’re looking to have influence outside of yourself, strive to be a person who is growing in his relationship with Jesus. Then, look to be someone who is a game changer in the lives of others who lie within your close circles. Finally, continue to reach out and have influence with others by bringing them INTO the close circles. Strive to be someone who anyone may one day say “that dude is the person who brought me closer to God.” I think that’s the greatest positive impact any of us can hope to have on society and in our world today.

What does religious freedom mean to you? How can you draw others into your closest circle of influence?

The post Religious Freedom: What Does Jesus Really Look Like These Days? first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Religious Freedom: What Does Jesus Really Look Like These Days? appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

in a nutshell... is the whole fleet on the same course?

“Morality, then, seems to be concerned with three things. Firstly, with fair play and harmony between individuals. Secondly, with what might be called tidying up or harmonising the things inside each individual. Thirdly, with the general purpose of human life as a whole: what man was made for: what course the whole fleet ought to be on: what tune the conductor of the band wants it to play.” C.S. Lewis, from Mere Christianity.

Can we have both Morality and Harmony?

Absolutely, it’s possible if we keep in mind there is an important connection…

Here’s an example from my life…

I have debt and have chosen to repay it. I need to step up to the plate and be responsible about it. I probably have enough debt that some would think I’m foolish to repay it… that I should just throw in the cards and start over. Many do and I do not fault them for taking that option. However, I am being led by God to stand firm and to repay my debts. Important: Whenever He is letting me know something I really need to listen! So I’m repaying my debts and I’m comfortable with that decision.

Applying this life situation to C.S. Lewis’ Harmony, Morality and defining the connection…

Part 1: Fair play and harmony between individuals. This is the do unto others as you would have others do unto you part. I need to do the right thing. Repaying my debt should bring harmony. Ok, so here’s the connection between Harmony and Morality… it’s Humility. I need to humble myself and put my brotherfellow first in this situation. Very important.

Part 2: What we might call tidying up or harmonizing the things inside each individual. I really need to get the log out of my eye on this one. In doing what is right, I’m hopeful to restore harmony, but I have to be humble and continue to do the right thing (i.e., taking extra care to learn from the experience and not let it happen again).

Part 3: The third part boils down to “…what course the whole fleet ought to be on.” There’s a whole lot that could be said to this one… but keeping Morality and Harmony in the context of my example, I’m heading for admonishment. Admonishment – that’s a fancy church word… Merriam-Webster says it means “to give friendly earnest advice or encouragement to” … that’s great, I need that. I would encourage you to read the blog post by Adam Flynt about Admonishing One Another . He pretty much nailed it. The last thing we would want to do when we really want to “help somebody out” is to make it a witch hunt, with an end result that displays something other than the loving kindness that Jesus gave us as an example. The bottom line here: work to keep our Morality, Harmony and Humility in the same sentence. Are you with me? Great, because we all need help and encouragement from time to time, and, as Flynt states, “The purpose of admonishment is to help someone know, love, and trust Jesus more.” If we are (1) in a position to admonish, and (2) are doing it correctly, we are, in a nutshell, talking about the whole fleet working together.

Morality, Harmony and Humility all in the same sentence… sounds pretty sweet.

Is there an example of Morality, Harmony and Humility in your world today?

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