Humankind's Denial and Double Standard With God

When we exercise our autonomy (self-rule),

     and things go well for us,

We conclude God had nothing to do with it.

     God is therefore, irrelevant.

When we exercise our autonomy, 

     and things go poorly for  us,

We conclude God is to blame.

     God is therefore, irrelevant.

When the "self" rules, no "self" is ever safe.

     The problem is, and has always been, 

Our (fallen) human autonomy. 

Greatness of God and the Grace of Christ

If I might fully grasp the greatness of God

     I must then tremble in the fear of The Lord

Let my trembling be changed into dancing

     Because of the surpassing grace of Christ

Death as a Teacher

There is only one thing 

that a heroic, intentional death and a 

tragic, unnecessary death have in common:

A voice that calls out from the grave that says: 

"Learn from me!" 

- as I prepare for a funeral service today

A Sequence In Engaging Evil

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer


Evil: Obvious and Obfuscated
Viral
Saturate
Encounter 
Discernment 
Love and Truth 
Called
Resolve 
Engage 
Courage 
Faithfulness
Hope
Sacrifice 
Imitation of Christ 
Redemption
Justification 
Reconciliation 
Restoration.

There is a notable, vital and primary application in the sequence of Luke 10:27, and that at our own peril, we would do well to be careful not to create an inverse and opposite relationship with... 

He [Jesus] answered,
(A) “‘Love the Lord your God 
with all your heart 

and with all your soul
and with all your strength
and with all your mind;'
and,(B) ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

The inverse and opposite relationship looks like this:

(B)We answered,
"Love your neighbor
[as yourself],
because, [you say that]
(A) you love your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your strength
and with all your mind.

Authentic (A) always leads to a meaningful (B), but An authentic (B) does not lead to a meaningful and authentic (A).

The Mission Statement of Jesus

What Many Consider To Be The Mission Statement Of Jesus From Luke 4:18-19


18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the 

poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the 

blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (GRACE)

Many would interpret this passage LITERALLY, but perhaps there is more...

What Other's Might Consider To Be The Mission of Jesus From John 1:29

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who   

takes away the sin of the world! (TRUTH)
How Do We Reconcile The Two? Notice The Use And Tension of GRACE and TRUTH, according to the Apostle John.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the 

glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth... 17 For the law 

was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:14 and 17

To emphasize one over and against the other is to misrepresent Who God Is and What God is About...

Why Sin Can't Be Privatized

If On Behalf of a Healthy Community
We Should Avoid Being 
Judgmental About One Another’s Sin

Then Equally,

On Behalf of a Healthy of Community
We Should Never Avoid Those
Who Can Lovingly (Christ-Like)
Make Us Aware of Our Own Personal Sin

The Fruit of the Spirit and the Incarnation of Christ In Our Lives

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

Thoughts:

The Fruits Of The Spirit
Are Not Only Evidence
Of The Indwelling Presence Of Christ
In Our Lives,
But The Very Power
By Which We Represent Christ and
From Which The World Feeds On Christ…
No Fruit… No Food...
No Fruit... No Representation.

The Fruit of the Spirit is What Enables The Believer To Be The Incarnation of Christ In The World

Principles Regarding The Fruit of the Spirit In The Life of Believers:

Principle #1
Acquiring The Fruit Of The Spirit Distinguishes The Believer From The Rest Of The World - Causing Curiosity and Interest On Their Part

Principle #2
Acquiring The Fruit Of The Spirit Will Empower and Motivate Us To Engage and Change The World For Christ

Principle #3
Acquiring The Fruit Of The Spirit Enables Us The Believer To Have Fulfillment and Satisfaction (Shalom) By Taking On The Image And Characteristics of Christ

Heresies

Most heresies 

are well intended compromises 

related to how we think

we should understand 

the nature of God

If Love Is A Truth, Then Truth Must Be Loved

If We Are Compelled To Believe That All LOVE is a TRUTH 
For Everyone… 
At All Times…
In All Places…
With All of Its Powerful and Wide Ranging Possibilities and Inconveniences

Then In A Corresponding Manner

We Must Be Complelled To Believe That All TRUTH Must Be LOVED…
By Everyone…
At All Times…
In All Places…
With All of Its Powerful and Wide Ranging Possibilities and Inconveniences

To Diminish The One is to Minimize The Other

Where We Live In Scripture

In "Modernity" (1700's - 1980's) we lived in the Epistles - primarily the Book of Romans.

In "Post-Modernity" (1980's - Present) we lived in the Gospels - Primarily The Sermon on the Mount.

To be Timelessly Orthodox In Our Christian Faith...

We Need To Live In BOTH...

Relational Integrity

Relational Integrity:

When Christians commit themselves to modeling RELATIONAL LOVE exclusively 
But marginalize the whole of BIBLICAL TRUTH, by ignoring, or failing to teach it;

Then those Loving Relationships, cannot help but be predicated on DISHONESTY.

Creating an uncomfortable REALITY, for which we may have to answer for someday...
Before God and to Them...

Relational INTEGRITY means that the World needs to see the Fullness of Christ, through our lives, not just the most desirable part of Him.

Not ONLY Law and Not ONLY Grace

Not every "ner-do-well" is an unrecognized Jean Valjean, and not every one who insists on holding them accountable is a heartless Javert.*

GRACE is meaningless without the LAW and the LAW is impossible without GRACE. 

* The two primary protagonists in Victor Hugo's brilliant novel: "Les Miserables" Jean Valjean spent 19 years on prison (initially) for stealing bread for his sister's starving children. Javert, the police inspector arrested Jean Valjean and sent him to prison.

Marginalizing Truth or Love

It's no more Christ-like to marginalize "Truth" in the name of "Love" and "Human Compassion," than it is to marginalize "Love" in the name "Truth" and "Biblical Principles."

To LOVE like Christ, for others, is not up for debate. To proclaim the TRUTH(s) of Christ cannot be up for debate either. 

It would appear within the contemporary Christian community, that there is just as much of a CRISIS with the Hermeneutics of Biblical love, as there has been with the Hermeneutics of Biblical Truth.

God is Holy and We Are Not; And EVERY man must come to terms with this fact...

Moreover (and for this we will be held accountable), God has tasked the Christian to tell the world, lovingly, of this Great and Terrifying Truth.

Unconditional Love and Uncompromising Truth

Unconditional Love is ultimately irrelevant outside the context uncompromising Truth.

Uncompromising Truth is tragically inaccessible with out unconditional Love.

No Voice Allowed

Consider this: 

The national and social media dialogue regarding Christians and CAF Event, seems to be swirling primarily around the nature of the "Christian Voice" that was spoken Thursday; and how it was heard/perceived by gay community. 

Assuredly, A very important and fair concern...

There is however, in the backdrop, a much larger cultural issue here, that teeters (dangerously?) on a nodal point of enormous distinction... And that is:

Whether Christians should even have a VOICE at all...

The Reality in Not Offending Anyone Ever

Naïveté - Denial - Absurd - Poliannic and Resolution (in Tension)

The time-space continuum occupied those who believe that competing Wordviews and Values (while thoroughly maintaining their uniqueness and integrity) can still co-exist without offending someone, somewhere at some time.

Love... It Isn't ALL That We Need

If Christians continue to back away... and continue to back away... from Biblical Truths, in order not to offend, at some point who's going to want to hear what we have to say anyway? 

The thing that makes Christianity truly DISTINCTIVE from all other Faiths in the world, is not just our capacity for Love, but our ability to authentically IMITATE the FULLNESS of Jesus Christ in our lives.

The practice (DOING) of Love in the world is not a particularly unique thing in any faith...

The genuine and whole expression, of the incarnational presence (BEING), of Christ in us... IS.

Right "Doing" doesn't always mean right "Being."

But, right "Being" ALWAYS means right "Doing."

The Reality of Capitalism vs. Socialism

There's no denying 
The enormously positive contributions of Capitalism 
Throughout history, 
Even with all of its egregious excesses; 
In like manner 
There's no denying 
The enormously destructive forces of Socialism 
Against humanity, 
Even with all of its well intended promises.

The Christian Danger of Privileging Certain Attributes (i.e. Love, Justice, Sovereignty etc.) of God Over Other Attributes of God; and Some Of Its Cultural Implications

To privilege one attribute of God, to marginalize and practice-out-of-balance - over and against, the other attributes of God is to (unwittingly?) engage in heresy.

The effect of the Fall in Genesis 3, among other things was to cause the “dis-integration” of the Image of God (imago Dei) in Mankind and of the Created Order. 


Like the enumerable, intricately woven threads of a beautiful tapestry pulled apart from all four sides, and with inexorably ferocity compromising the tapestry’s resplendent image and function, so are the effects of the Fall upon man and His creation. Mankind and the Creation do not appear as they once did, nor will mankind and the Created Order function in any way optimally as they should. With every passing day, week, month, year, decade, century and millennium this “disintegration” becomes increasingly more and more true. 

There should be a measured and healthy terror in all believers that there has been a “Fall” and there is a “Falling.”

Theologically, one of the nascent and pernicious ways that we have been influenced by The Fall is through our perception of God and the Theological emphasis and practices predicated on that perception. 

Metaphorically speaking, God is like a large perfect diamond, with equal facets on all sides, and with each and every facet representing a particular attribute of His. No one facet is any bigger, important or pristine than the others. Every facet lives in perfect tension and balances with all the others; and symbiotically informs the color, clarity, carat and cut of every other facet that make up the Divine Diamond. 

Christian Faith Traditions and Denominations have emerged largely because of their founder’s emphasis or privileging of one facet over another; or one attribute of God over other attributes of God; largely brought about because of some cultural crisis or phenomenon; as well as, the innate wiring of the founder(s) themselves. 

The conventional wisdom of these founders and their followers was to craft the following kind of question : “If you really want to know who God is and what He requires of us, then you must understand that God is primarily [this particular attribute]: e.g. Truth or Love, or Grace, or Sovereign, or Peace etc.

The reality is: God is no more “Love” than He is “Truth.” God is no more “Grace” than He is “Just.” God is no more “Peace” than He is “Judge.” God is no more “Sovereign” than He is “Servant.” God is all of those attributes, at once and at all times and in all ways… And they all hang in a beautiful tension and balance... The nature and attribute of God is to always be in Shalom. And so should the Christian as well…. 

To be sure, the Church’s proclivity (in epochal fashion) to emphasize certain attributes of God over other attributes have much to do with existing cultural dynamics. In other words, that particular attribute emphasized during that time (epoch), happened because the surrounding culture and needed to hear it (for a time), more than some of the other attributes, because of some great issue – but it should never be at the exclusion or marginalization of God’s other attributes. 

For example: discussing the Sovereignty of God during the Reformation did much to help establish Protestantism over and against the corrupt forces within Roman Catholicism at the time. The Anglican practice of the “Via Media” (Middle Way) was necessary in order to blend a number of great ecclesiastical traditions. 

In addition, and importantly, because of the “dis-integrating” dynamic of The Fall, Mankind finds in his nature, a predisposition to certain attributes of God as part of his imago Dei vs. other attributes of God. For example: some people are born more naturally inclined to be fascinated by what is LOVE and others are more congenitally fascinated by what is TRUTH. This is the very reason why Christians and the Church should exist with one another in balanced mutuality – so that all god-like attributes and the voices that speak for them are present. 

Broadly speaking, in today’s popular theological currency the language is more exclusively “Love” and “Grace.” (Biblical Cultural Capitulation) This may be why Christians are losing ourselves (assimilated) in to the Culture. A largely "PRIESTLY" function, but not "PROPHETIC." In the 1980’s and early 1990’s the popular theological language was exclusively: “Truth” and “Justice” i.e. Judge (Biblical Cultural Legalization). A largely "PROPHETIC" function, but not "PRIESTLY." This was the reason why we lost the “Cultural Wars.” We are tragically out of balance… 

Again, to privilege one attribute of God, to marginalize and practice out of balance, over and against, the other attributes of God is to (unwittingly?) engage in heresy.

Out-of-balance misrepresentation of who God is, to ourselves, and to the world in which we live; has caused great confusion in the world historically about who or what God really is… This has contributed mightily to the Christian and Church’s misapplication of the faith over the years, throughout the world.

Which Comes First: A Theological “Chicken or the Egg” Discussion

The physical poverty for mankind in the world exists because of the spiritual poverty in the heart of man.

For many believers, there has been an unwitting tragic and dangerous (a priori) exchange of priorities – deemphasizing of the Jesus who died for the SPIRITUAL poverty of mankind – to the excessive emphasis of the Jesus who commanded us to die to ourselves and address the PHYSICAL poverty of the world.

 Addressing SPIRITUAL poverty without addressing PHYSICAL poverty lacks AUTHENTICITY.

 Addressing PHYSICAL poverty without first addressing SPIRITUAL poverty is HUMANISM.

Addressing PHYSICAL poverty subordinately within the overall context of SPIRITUAL poverty is ORTHODOXY.

A. The GOSPEL is that Jesus came to save and restore mankind by offering Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for their sins.  This principle GIVES life.

B. The KINGDOM of GOD is the Holy Spirit driven process of using regenerated hearts in the believer to restore this physical world, like the heavenly world to come. This principle ENHANCES life

C. The GOSPEL and the KINGDOM OF GOD are not, nor should they ever be confused as synonymous…

Principle A causes B, but principle B cannot cause A.

Principle A is solely the work of Christ

Principle B is the faithful and obedient response of Man, because of Principle A.  

It Takes Years To Find and Formulate The Question

It Takes Years To Find The Answer

It Takes Years To Implement The Strategy

To...

Fulfill and Be At Peace With One's Personal Calling and Significance In Life

Some say, "fail on the side of love and grace; 
Others say: "fail on the side of truth and principle." 
My thought is: "why not do the harder work and succeed mightily at both sets equally."

A Contemporary View of Truth

Just Because 

The Truth Is Inconvenient

That Doesn’t Mean

It Doesn’t Matter

Reality Physically and Metaphysically

Physically and Metaphysically Speaking:

The most exhilarating

or the most terrifying

kind of reality in life

Is the discovery of

the absence or presence

of something as nothing

Every ideology,

when followed faithfully enough,

benignly offers a "helpful" golden thread to follow -

inevitably leading to a "sacred" place...

The place where they mass produce grape cool-aid.

Giving God Glory Through Our Voice

The Voice in the Wilderness that gives God the greatest glory,

comes not from the mouth of a single individual,

but from a blending of eclectic voices

that speak or sing as one -

a Divine fuge of sorts...

Think Handel's Messiah,

a unified voice,

that swells up and out of a dark grotto of the world.

The Prophetic Voice

To be "the lone voice calling out in the wilderness,"

Does not mean there are no other voices...

It just means it's the only voice,

That found the courage,

To be it's own kind...

rag/4/13/12

The Significance of How We See Death Then And How We See It Now…

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is significant,

not just because he defeated (physical/temporal) Death;

but more importantly,

because He defeated (spiritual/eternal) DEATH. *

The first victory over Death is merely miraculous.

The second victory over DEATH is Divine;

and is what makes possible the move from utter annihilation

to restored "sonship" with the Father in Heaven. **
Christ’s Resurrection gave the early 1st Century Christians

JOY, HOPE and delicious FREEDOM from the STARK TERROR,

(that lay await) for departed souls existing beyond the grave. ***
For most THEN, the idea of death was horrifying; and an ever present reality…

For most TODAY, the idea of death is offensive and inconvenient; and marked by anesthetizing denial...

REJOICE! Christ's Life, Death and Resurrection makes it possible to have LIFE over DEATH!!!

*"Where their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched". (Mark 9:48)

** But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son… so that we might receive adoption as sons.

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God (Gal 4:4 - 4:7)

*** 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, 

then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"
  1Co 15:54-55

The Loss of Fear in Death

One of the greatest losses of our modern day era,

is not so much the fear of death,

but the stark terror of what may lay beyond it.

So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom

(Psalm 90:12 ESV)

Why I Do What I Do on Facebook and Other Discussions and Social Media

"There is always a reality beyond the one that you perceive."

-Russ Heddendorf

To seek and know those other realities is wisdom.

Unless we discipline our lives to pursue and know those other realities, we will always be vulnerable (tools and pawns) to those people, who fed us the latest bit of information.

To live,

Is to act

Actions are formed from belief

Beliefs are formed from knowledge

Reality Is the source of all knowledge.

If there is more reality, then their is deeper living

"We can only know the Truth, in as much as we are the Truth."

-Kierkegaard

THINK... ENGAGE... GROW...

Intellectual Honesty is among the most excruciating and elusive practices of our personal disciplines and Christian Faith.

There is a constant ebb and flow of elastic tension between the known and knowing.

To whatever degree we lack Intellectual Honesty, we live in denial (lies) and even rebellion.

Be faithful to what you know

Then you will know how to be faithful

Knowledge: Pride and Humility

Pridefulness of the mind occurs when habitually searching the world behind us, and smugly appraise: how many others do not know - what we think we know. We feel large and see others as small.

Humility of the mind occurs when habitually searching the world before us, to solemnly appraise: how much more there is to know, for ourselves, and others who do not know. We feel small and envision others becoming large.

Forgiveness

We are always astounded (are we not) by those who have been the most wronged, who have forgiven so completely, it appears as if they have forgotten as well.

So it is with Jesus Christ... He has been the most wronged and yet He has so freely forgiven us... Not only that, but He paid our penalty for those things that we all need forgiveness for... To not forgive means that on some level, pride, fear and power (over others) are what motivate us... This does not mean that we are to be naive or foolish and to trust those people who continue to demonstrate they are not capable of being trustworthy. But it does mean that trust should always be commensurate...

We are forgiven because He is gracious... We should forgive because we live in grace.... It works both ways, backwards and forwards... To imitate Christ is to forgive and to learn how to trust again...

Forgiveness is rarely an event... Although it begins that way... Like most things in life it is a process that demands commitment and perseverance. But this is also the part that "unconditional love" plays as well... There can be no true love for another if pervasive fear, personal pride, the will to power and trust are the dominant issues... Is there ANYTHING that the world needs more than a better understanding of than these issues?

IRONY...

There are those in history who "loved" a "truth" so much,

They burned others at the stake (in this world),

Because "THE TRUTH" of those burned, did not reflect their mere "love."

CONVERSELY

There are those in history whose "truth" exemplified only "love,"

Unwittingly staking others to be burned (in the netherworld),

Because their MERE LOVE, wasn't reflective enough of "The Truth"

TRUTH without LOVE is like a dry river bed; it gives direction but no life.

LOVE without TRUTH is like a vast swamp land; it has plenty of life, but no direction.

COMBINED

LOVE and TRUTH are like a wide river valley, plenty of life on both sides, while still providing direction.

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges for the Christ-Follower,

Is striking the constant, circumstantially-driven,

Elliptical Balance,

Of practicing the

The LOVE of Christ's TRUTH,

For the TRUTH of Christ's LOVE

The greatest heresies in history

Are Always some contextually driven form,

Of privileging one of these dynamics

(Truth or Love)

Exclusively over the other...

Why “Theodicy” Exists Based on Moral and Ethical Decisions

It is both an ancient and present truth, that when a man exercises his autonomy, making a choice that ends beneficially, then from his vantage point, it was because of what he did; and concludes that God was not necessary... However, when that man exercises the same autonomy, making a choice that ends poorly, and then he concludes God is at fault; because God didn’t protect him from the consequences of the choice he made.

We encourage God to be absent when we make choices that bring us pleasure; but we blame God when He isn't present to protect us from choices that cause us pain.

We don't want to be INFORMED by God about HOW to choose, we only want to be PROTECTED by God, regardless of WHAT we choose.

Unlimited power held by those without character,

Is characterized in those

Who Would exercise power without limits.