I’ve Changed My Mind

I’ve changed my mind so many times the reversals would be too long to list. Yet to challenge the thinker I’ve listed five flip-flops:

1. Ten years, five years ago, I agreed with the attractional church (its focus on relevant worship, music, etc) and the idea that “if you don’t like it, go somewhere else.” Retrospectively, I see things very different today
2. I far prefer the contemplative style over the contemporary. Lights dimmed, candles, icons, Celtic crosses, with a small group of musicians playing (maybe) hammered dulcimer, harp, guitar, and wooden flute
3. From my perception, the 1990s throwback assemblies, organ, old refurbed buildings, choirs, and special choirs has a strange reverence about them
4. Is objective truth tangentially relevant to the human condition? Objective truth unknowingly often becomes subjective truth because what is experienced is always perceived through the filter of our humanness. Whether known by the person or not, the validity of truth depends on the accuracy of perception
5. Related to my ten years ago, I mean five years ago post (see #1) I’ve exchanged cultural relevancy for cultural maker

I Like Your Christ

I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. –Mohandas K Gandhi

The most heinous and the must cruel crimes of which history has record have been committed under the cover of religion or equally noble motives. –Mohandas K Gandhi

I have a Few Questions

1. Why does the body of Christ follow rather than lead in social reform—and then dishonestly claim leadership in reforms after the fact?
   
2. Why do so many Christ-followers pilgrimage through life without ever considering the veracity of unbelief; never allowing it to challenge their faith?
   
3. Why does the church speak of absolute values without every pointing to the scriptural examples of situation ethics?
   

Parable

A man born blind man asks a philosopher to describe the color green.

“The color green is like soothing and soft music,” he said.

Later that day another blind man asks the philosopher, “What is the color green?”

“It’s like soft satin, smooth to the touch.”

A few days later the philosopher sees the two blind men arguing and hitting each other over the head with bottles. The man born blind says, “It’s like music.” The second blind man is saying, “It’s soft like satin.”

Years later, the man born blind has his sight restored.

The philosopher finds the man with new eyes sitting in the middle of a garden admiring its natural beauty.

“Well, now you know what the color green is,” says the philosopher.

“That’s true I heard some this morning.”

Lying For the Cause of Christ

We stood in line sliding the seventy pound suitcases across the concrete floor. Slowly we inched closer. Our bags were loaded down with both non-prescription and prescription drugs. Ukrainian customs laws were clear. All medications must be declared.

We had to make a decision. We discussed our options. Should we lie to the customs officials or tell the truth. Telling the truth meant losing our medicines to the corrupt functionaries.

 We knew the stories. We had our own personal experiences. Declare the medicine and the sick would suffer the consequences of going without antibiotics. 

 The choice was easy. We lied to the agents for the cause of Christ.

There are occasions when the absolute moral laws of the Bible find themselves in conflict. When this happens one is under obligation to follow the higher law. Moral and ethical laws possess a hierarchy that necessitates certain rules to be elevated and others to be subordinate. To unthinkingly submit to ‘absolute bible obedience’ without regard for situations, people, circumstances, and consequences becomes little more than an exercise in rigorous rule keeping and a breach of Christian duty.

Yes Proverbs 12:22 says, “…the Lord detests lying lips” but there are instances where biblical commands must be broken in order to honor others.  Remember Ex. 1:15-20 when God rewarded the Hebrew midwives for breaking the law by lying so the baby boys could live?

 God withholds accountability from those who demonstrate mercy to the innocent rather than truth-telling to the guilty.