This is a topic I've always intended to breach, but the timing was never right. My last post prompted prayer questions, though, so I'm going to take a break from the Titus series to explain some of my stances on prayer. I feel somewhat hypocritical, as my prayer life has not been great lately. However, perhaps this entry will spur me towards improvement.
What does prayer do for me?
Perhaps most importantly, prayer is a reminder to myself that I'm not God. If I'm praying, I'm taking the focus off of myself and recognizing the limited control I have. I'm recognizing my place as part of the world (or "the forest" to quote a previous blog post), not the center of it. Talking to the Sovereign Creator of the universe has a way of humbling a person and making that person want to be better. I get that from prayer.
Additionally, as Coach Gardner has been discussing on his blog (see: http://coachgsplaybook.blogspot.com/), it's an attempt to establish a relationship with Christ. I believe we indicate how much we value someone based on the amount of time we spend with them. We invest time in relationships to build them. This is a relationship I want to build. My ability to hear God is severely limited (if not incapacitated) when I'm not speaking with Him.
Also, it's a matter of obedience. God says to pray, so I pray. Same with fasting, with partaking in communion, with serving others, etc.
How do I pray?
One of the best things I started doing a couple of years ago is typing my prayers out. I've got a record of my prayer life over the past 7 years. Obviously it's great to look back and see those prayers as a record of God's faithfulness, but the main benefit for me is to keep me focused. When I pray randomly in my head, my mind wanders. When I'm typing to God, it's more purposeful.
What do I value?
More than anything else, I value authenticity. I believe so much Biblical evidence exists of God's displeasure with those who "praise him with their tongue, not with their heart." I don't want to waste words with God, say anything out of tradition or habit, or approach prayer half-heartedly. I want to be purposeful and honest. There have been times I've been angry or confused or frustrated with God, and I'm very honest about it in my prayer. I believe God wants real, not routine. The book of Psalms has a lot of that in it.
For that reason, I'm careful about when and why I pray. One thing I've struggled with is the Protestant tradition of praying before meals. I recognize the need to thank God for everything, but so many times I feel like people believe the food will turn to ash if it's not "blessed" with prayer. I don't want to pray because that's what is done before a meal. Prayer shouldn't be an obligation or a way of introducing that it's okay to eat now. We should absolutely thank God for food, but we should thank Him for every cup of coffee, every Diet Coke, every package of Nutty Bars, and every breath. I want the prayer to be real and authentic. My wife and I do pray before supper, but only because that's the one time we're together during the day and can pray together. For no other meals do I make it a must: I refuse to let obligation or tradition dictate when and how I talk to God
Additionally, it drives me nuts that in many church services, there are scheduled prayer times. The church bulletin says it's time to pray, so let's all dutifully bow our heads. I've also been in church services during which it feels like we can't move from one song to the next without a prayer. The praying becomes a transition. Prayer shouldn't be a transition - for me, I want to mean it when I speak with God.
On a related manner, that also affects things like the Lord's Prayer for me. Every time I say that, I try to slow it down and put in my mind what specifically I'm saying with each line:
- Hallowed be thy name: why am I honoring God today? What am I thankful for?
- Thy kingdom come, thy will be done: I trust you, God. I believe your will for my life is best, even if I'm not comfortable.
- Give us this day, our daily bread: What do I need today? What is the bread I need?
- Forgive us our trespasses: How have I erred lately?
- As we forgive those. . .: Am I willing to forgive?
- Lead us not into temptation: God, I know I'm tempted by this (fill in the blank). I will need your help to overcome this.
And on and on and on. The prayer has got to be purposeful and meaningful for me. I don't want to go through the motions. I fear that if I'm not diligent about remaining authentic with God, prayer becomes another checkmark on the to-do list.
I've got a thousand prayer issues that I deal with. I studied prayer for a summer, reading many of the major writers throughout history on the subject, trying to better understand it. And I continue to seek more info and to get better. I fail miserably at praying consistently during busy times (which is when I should be praying the most). I'm not good with praying with other people. There are many days during which, embarrassingly, I just don't know what to say to God. Certainly I don't have everything figured out.
These are just some thoughts on the topic now that it's come up. I believe there aren't enough real, honest conversations about this topic, and I'd love to have one here. Any commentary?
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Titus series: Temperance/self-control
I find that being temperate is exceptionally difficult, especially if one wants to be connected with sports. First, as a coach, I believe I've grown exponentially in this degree. I used to get really worked up about things on the basketball court; my emotions were a constant roller-coaster, unfortunately with a lot of angry words directed towards officials. What's worse is being a fan. It runs in the family to be an especially pessimistic fan and to get pretty upset at the televison or radio based on the actions of 18-23 years olds who I don't even know. Knowing this about myself, I've allowed myself to only follow UNI basketball and football closely - I dropped passionate allegiance to all other teams (aside from perhaps the Phillies from MLB). My mood was too often determined by games, and I was anything but temperate. I'm not any better at this; I just limit the opportunities for my day to be ruined and my remote to be thrown across the room by only following my alma mater (who isn't on TV that often).
I've learned better temperance in my relationships with people over the years. I've grown so much, in fact, that after another teacher hotly criticized the manner in which I teach, it was with a great calm and collected voice that I let her know that I could care less because she isn't my boss. Growth, right? In all seriousness, my job is a big weakspot with temperance. It's easy to go off the deep end in reaction to decisions I don't agree with made my administrators, and teachers are notorious for voicing their frustration with students.
Temperance is a tough balancing act, though. If you never get real worked up about something, you probably aren't passionate about it. Passion is important. Of course, the Titus passage I'm reviewing here encourages building a reputation for a passion for good works. I'm not sure sitting in the 3rd row at the McLeod Center screaming my lungs out at the officials at a Panther basketball game would qualify as "good works." But it's important to have passion about a few things in your life, and with passion comes disappointment. Roy Williams, basketball coach at North Carolina, this week had a good observation. Coach Williams and North Carolina are accustomed to winning a lot, and that's not happening this season. Someone he ran into mentioned to him that in the persepective of the whole world, this bad season wasn't that big of deal. That individual mentioned Haiti. Coach Williams agreed that it wasn't life and death, and Haitians certainly have much more to fret over. However, he reminded the person, "But this team and this game is my life." It's what he had given his time and emotion and energy toward, so it does create wounds when it doesn't go well.
Passion opens the door to not exhibiting temperance, and I think that's okay. I wouldn't describe Christ as temperate when he was doing some major rebuking of the money-changers in the temple. I wouldn't describe Paul as temperate as he risked everything to passionately plead with others to believe in this Christ.
More important in times of great passion is the other word I used in this point: self-control. I've heard a lot of different definitions of self-control, but the one I subscribe to the most is being who you say you are at all times. When I can't be temperate, when my situation is exceptionally high or exceptionally low, am I who I say I am? Are my values still exhibited in my actions? Are my behaviors ones I would say I'm proud of? To me, that's self-control. If I say that I should control my tongue and not speak negatively about others, then I should exhibit that after an especially bad call on the basketball floor. If I believe God is in control and will give me all I need, I'll pray instead of worrying when life gets real rocky. And when I come into money, I'll use it in a way that reflects my belief in building eternal treasure, not temporal treasure. That, to me, is self-control. And when I can't be temperate, I should strive for self-control.
I've learned better temperance in my relationships with people over the years. I've grown so much, in fact, that after another teacher hotly criticized the manner in which I teach, it was with a great calm and collected voice that I let her know that I could care less because she isn't my boss. Growth, right? In all seriousness, my job is a big weakspot with temperance. It's easy to go off the deep end in reaction to decisions I don't agree with made my administrators, and teachers are notorious for voicing their frustration with students.
Temperance is a tough balancing act, though. If you never get real worked up about something, you probably aren't passionate about it. Passion is important. Of course, the Titus passage I'm reviewing here encourages building a reputation for a passion for good works. I'm not sure sitting in the 3rd row at the McLeod Center screaming my lungs out at the officials at a Panther basketball game would qualify as "good works." But it's important to have passion about a few things in your life, and with passion comes disappointment. Roy Williams, basketball coach at North Carolina, this week had a good observation. Coach Williams and North Carolina are accustomed to winning a lot, and that's not happening this season. Someone he ran into mentioned to him that in the persepective of the whole world, this bad season wasn't that big of deal. That individual mentioned Haiti. Coach Williams agreed that it wasn't life and death, and Haitians certainly have much more to fret over. However, he reminded the person, "But this team and this game is my life." It's what he had given his time and emotion and energy toward, so it does create wounds when it doesn't go well.
Passion opens the door to not exhibiting temperance, and I think that's okay. I wouldn't describe Christ as temperate when he was doing some major rebuking of the money-changers in the temple. I wouldn't describe Paul as temperate as he risked everything to passionately plead with others to believe in this Christ.
More important in times of great passion is the other word I used in this point: self-control. I've heard a lot of different definitions of self-control, but the one I subscribe to the most is being who you say you are at all times. When I can't be temperate, when my situation is exceptionally high or exceptionally low, am I who I say I am? Are my values still exhibited in my actions? Are my behaviors ones I would say I'm proud of? To me, that's self-control. If I say that I should control my tongue and not speak negatively about others, then I should exhibit that after an especially bad call on the basketball floor. If I believe God is in control and will give me all I need, I'll pray instead of worrying when life gets real rocky. And when I come into money, I'll use it in a way that reflects my belief in building eternal treasure, not temporal treasure. That, to me, is self-control. And when I can't be temperate, I should strive for self-control.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Titus Series: Motivation
Last week I wrote about the 5 attributes pushed by Paul in the book of Titus that should be taught and modeled. I promised to explore each of the five, so I begin that today.
I begin with motivation because the idea came up in the comments section of my last post. I openly wondered what is the ultimate motivation or drive behind the actions of non-believers. I still wonder, and I hope the non-believers following this blog will help me out with this. More importantly for me, I think I need to analyze what I'm motivated by and what I ultimately want from my actions.
In the book of Titus, Paul calls us to take daily action to represent Christ well and to bring him glory. For myself, then, at the end of the day I've got to ask: Did I do what I did today to bring Christ glory? Did my actions represent him well?
Unfortunately, here are many of my other motivators:
- pride
- my own glory
- maintaining comfort
- getting attention (espcially when I'm complaining)
- immediate gratification or quick pleasure
It's the thought that counts, goes the old saying. Paul supports that theory. Am I writing this blog so that people will like what I say, or so that I bring glory to God? Are my actions in my marriage an attempt to make myself happier through someone else, or to show the world the sacrificial and joy-filled type of love Christ had for his church? When I have a party at my house, is my goal to forget about my problems, or to celebrate the gifts I've been given? All of these actions are great, but only with the proper motivation.
As with most other things in Christianity, it all comes down to the death of the self. Think about myself less, think about God more. If the Bible is true, I exist to represent Christ well and bring him glory. Luckily, deep joy is one way to represent Christ well. A couple of applicable quotes:
"God threatens terrible things is we will not be happy." - Jeremy Taylor
"God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him." - John Piper
Everybody wants to be happy. One person will act one way, and another will act in a completely opposite way, both with the goal of being happy. The Bible argues that the most joy, the most happiness, comes in seeking to glorify God and represent Him well. Enjoy God; celebrate His gifts. Infinite joy is offered by God when He is the end that is sought. Temporary (and self-focused) joy comes in seeking happiness through anything else. My lifetime is a written history of a never-ending joy I receive when fully seeking God and of brief moments of pleasure (at best) when fully seeking anything else. And like a foolish child, I'm sure tomorrow, at some point in the day, I'll be motivated by something other than God. I'll put a cap on my happiness. What's the definition of stupidity, again?
Miller writes in "Million Miles" that "If you want to know what a person's story is about, just ask them what they want. If we don't want anything, we are living boring stories, and if we want a Roomba vaccum cleaner, we are living stupid stories" (124). I agree. What I want defines the story I'm in and the value of the story. Motivation not only matters - it is essential. I must know why I do what I do.
I begin with motivation because the idea came up in the comments section of my last post. I openly wondered what is the ultimate motivation or drive behind the actions of non-believers. I still wonder, and I hope the non-believers following this blog will help me out with this. More importantly for me, I think I need to analyze what I'm motivated by and what I ultimately want from my actions.
In the book of Titus, Paul calls us to take daily action to represent Christ well and to bring him glory. For myself, then, at the end of the day I've got to ask: Did I do what I did today to bring Christ glory? Did my actions represent him well?
Unfortunately, here are many of my other motivators:
- pride
- my own glory
- maintaining comfort
- getting attention (espcially when I'm complaining)
- immediate gratification or quick pleasure
It's the thought that counts, goes the old saying. Paul supports that theory. Am I writing this blog so that people will like what I say, or so that I bring glory to God? Are my actions in my marriage an attempt to make myself happier through someone else, or to show the world the sacrificial and joy-filled type of love Christ had for his church? When I have a party at my house, is my goal to forget about my problems, or to celebrate the gifts I've been given? All of these actions are great, but only with the proper motivation.
As with most other things in Christianity, it all comes down to the death of the self. Think about myself less, think about God more. If the Bible is true, I exist to represent Christ well and bring him glory. Luckily, deep joy is one way to represent Christ well. A couple of applicable quotes:
"God threatens terrible things is we will not be happy." - Jeremy Taylor
"God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him." - John Piper
Everybody wants to be happy. One person will act one way, and another will act in a completely opposite way, both with the goal of being happy. The Bible argues that the most joy, the most happiness, comes in seeking to glorify God and represent Him well. Enjoy God; celebrate His gifts. Infinite joy is offered by God when He is the end that is sought. Temporary (and self-focused) joy comes in seeking happiness through anything else. My lifetime is a written history of a never-ending joy I receive when fully seeking God and of brief moments of pleasure (at best) when fully seeking anything else. And like a foolish child, I'm sure tomorrow, at some point in the day, I'll be motivated by something other than God. I'll put a cap on my happiness. What's the definition of stupidity, again?
Miller writes in "Million Miles" that "If you want to know what a person's story is about, just ask them what they want. If we don't want anything, we are living boring stories, and if we want a Roomba vaccum cleaner, we are living stupid stories" (124). I agree. What I want defines the story I'm in and the value of the story. Motivation not only matters - it is essential. I must know why I do what I do.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Advice From a Dead Guy About What to Teach
Unintentionally I found myself digging far into the book of Titus from the New Testament today. The book is a letter from Paul to a young missionary he was mentoring named Titus. Titus was still in Crete, a place Paul had begun a church and spread the news of Christ, and Paul gave him some advice. The letter contained:
- instructions from the older Paul to the younger Titus
- regarding what the more mature (in faith) Titus was to model for the the less mature at Crete
- and what to teach the less mature
- including what the older generation was to teach the younger generation.
- instructions from the older Paul to the younger Titus
- regarding what the more mature (in faith) Titus was to model for the the less mature at Crete
- and what to teach the less mature
- including what the older generation was to teach the younger generation.
I guess I've come to see this letter as a sort of blueprint for what I should be doing in my job, especially as a coach. I believe I've stated before on this blog that if I sacrifice all the time I'm sacrificing and only teach my players basketball skills, I've wasted my time. I must teach them life skills, skills that will help them be better people and lead more successful lives. After today, I see this letter from Paul as a very specific list of skills to be teaching. And to be modeling.
After reading the brief letter, I think I've encompassed Paul's advice into 5 instructions for Titus. I stuck to the adjectives and descriptions that were mentioned several times and condensed the ones that were similar in nature. What I've come up with is this - Titus (and I) should teach and model the following things:
1. Be temperate/self-controlled/sober-minded
2. Develop a reputation of one who is 1)honorable and 2)zealous for good works
3. In actions to others, be obedient, respectful, humble, and peacable
4. Deny worldly lusts/desires
5. Be motivated by representing Christ
1. Be temperate/self-controlled/sober-minded
2. Develop a reputation of one who is 1)honorable and 2)zealous for good works
3. In actions to others, be obedient, respectful, humble, and peacable
4. Deny worldly lusts/desires
5. Be motivated by representing Christ
Obviously, I can't teach number 4 and 5 to my players. I can't argue with them the rewards of eternal desires rather than temporal ones, and I can't teach them to be motivated by representing Christ. Those I can't teach, but I can definitely model. The others, however, are excellent advice regardless of faith background. These, I feel, are key to life-long success.
As I look at the list, I feel like the culture or the media or perhaps just sinful nature cries out against these. Few are out there advocating any of this. The message instead is, "Go out and get drunk or high or distracted in some other way (television, for instance) from all sense of reality: escape responsibility, gratify yourself immediately, and live for the moment. After all, you deserve it. Build your reputation by buying stuff and showing it off (one of my favorite all-time quotes: "Americans are busy buying things they don't need with money they don't have to impress people they don't like"). Make sure everyone sees your new car or cell phone or house or lawn ornament or shoes. Create friction. Stick it to your boss - it's his/her fault for sucking. Complain. Loudly. And get your picture in the paper or on the news - get that recognition that you deserve."
As I look at the list, I feel like the culture or the media or perhaps just sinful nature cries out against these. Few are out there advocating any of this. The message instead is, "Go out and get drunk or high or distracted in some other way (television, for instance) from all sense of reality: escape responsibility, gratify yourself immediately, and live for the moment. After all, you deserve it. Build your reputation by buying stuff and showing it off (one of my favorite all-time quotes: "Americans are busy buying things they don't need with money they don't have to impress people they don't like"). Make sure everyone sees your new car or cell phone or house or lawn ornament or shoes. Create friction. Stick it to your boss - it's his/her fault for sucking. Complain. Loudly. And get your picture in the paper or on the news - get that recognition that you deserve."
I'm guilty of much of this. In the next few blog entries, it's my goal to take a look at these individually, explore what perhaps each looks like, where I fall short (or don't), what I can do, and why it's so important. It should be interesting.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Consistency
Last weekend wasn't a particularly good weekend for my 9th grade boys basketball team in a lot of ways. In two games over a 24 hour period on Friday night and Saturday, we lost by a combined 120 points. That wasn't the worst part. Far worse, for me, was that I saw attitudes go south amongst my players for the first time this season. We haven't had a particularly successful season if success is defined by wins and losses; however, this has been a group whose demeanor and approach to the game has been one I've been pleased to work with. That demeanor was gone last weekend.
After the game, I spoke to the team for a good 10 minutes. My biggest message was that of consistency as a life skill. I told them they can't be part-time players or part-time people, that instead they needed to be "every-day" about the skills and attitudes they possess. If you're a rebounder, rebound every day. If you are a leader, lead every day. If have a desire to get better, bring that desire every day. I told them that they can't just do the things they say they do well when it's easy, that if they only do it part of the time, they should get used to feeling like victims (whose only comfort in life is the ability to complain).
When I look at some of my actions this week, I realize just how big of a task I'm asking from my players. I realize that I need the same speech. I've found that fatigue is the great killer of many good things in one's approach to life, and I've had fatigue this week. I spent 12 hours on a bus this week. Four out of 6 days were in a gym. During free moments, I tried to get some grad work done. Busyness (or the perception of it) is as toxic as fatigue. When I look back at the week, my patience was low. My mood was crabby and tense. I focused on myself. A lot. I forgot God at times. I was not an "every-day" person this week. At least not the person I want to be on an every day basis. Consistency is a hard master.
After last weekend I felt like I had to do something to reinforce my message of consistency with my team. I required each of the players to write down 3-4 skills/actions/attitudes they could be counted on for every day as a basketball player, and 3-4 skills/actions/attitudes they could be held accountable for as a person. They've had to post these "promises" and communicate them to teammates. I believe it's been positive for our group over the past week.
I'm challenging myself in the same way. And I'm challenging my readers in the same way as well. Tonight I list 3 actions/attitudes I want to display on a daily basis. I'm making them public here in order to increase my commitment to this approach.
Every day, I should:
1) Love my wife well, regardless of how my day is going.
2) Be mentally with other people when I'm physically with them, not be thinking about the next thing I should get done.
3) Ask God for help, if for no other reason than to remind myself of my place in the universe.
I encourage my readers to post 3-4 as well in the comment section. I believe statements lead to action much more quickly than intentions. If you're willing, I'd love to hear what you want your "every-day" actions to look like. A community of intentional people here could lead to great consistency in real life.
After the game, I spoke to the team for a good 10 minutes. My biggest message was that of consistency as a life skill. I told them they can't be part-time players or part-time people, that instead they needed to be "every-day" about the skills and attitudes they possess. If you're a rebounder, rebound every day. If you are a leader, lead every day. If have a desire to get better, bring that desire every day. I told them that they can't just do the things they say they do well when it's easy, that if they only do it part of the time, they should get used to feeling like victims (whose only comfort in life is the ability to complain).
When I look at some of my actions this week, I realize just how big of a task I'm asking from my players. I realize that I need the same speech. I've found that fatigue is the great killer of many good things in one's approach to life, and I've had fatigue this week. I spent 12 hours on a bus this week. Four out of 6 days were in a gym. During free moments, I tried to get some grad work done. Busyness (or the perception of it) is as toxic as fatigue. When I look back at the week, my patience was low. My mood was crabby and tense. I focused on myself. A lot. I forgot God at times. I was not an "every-day" person this week. At least not the person I want to be on an every day basis. Consistency is a hard master.
After last weekend I felt like I had to do something to reinforce my message of consistency with my team. I required each of the players to write down 3-4 skills/actions/attitudes they could be counted on for every day as a basketball player, and 3-4 skills/actions/attitudes they could be held accountable for as a person. They've had to post these "promises" and communicate them to teammates. I believe it's been positive for our group over the past week.
I'm challenging myself in the same way. And I'm challenging my readers in the same way as well. Tonight I list 3 actions/attitudes I want to display on a daily basis. I'm making them public here in order to increase my commitment to this approach.
Every day, I should:
1) Love my wife well, regardless of how my day is going.
2) Be mentally with other people when I'm physically with them, not be thinking about the next thing I should get done.
3) Ask God for help, if for no other reason than to remind myself of my place in the universe.
I encourage my readers to post 3-4 as well in the comment section. I believe statements lead to action much more quickly than intentions. If you're willing, I'd love to hear what you want your "every-day" actions to look like. A community of intentional people here could lead to great consistency in real life.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Non-believer's perspective
I attempted the difficult tonight: I tried to get into the heads of non-believers and write about how they see Christians. The assignment for my grad school class was to write about how other cultures or heritages view mine. I chose to go with a description of my Christian heritage, as I felt that was a more defining characteristic than my "Dutch" history. Most of my post in the grad class discussion board appears below:
Many people outside of Christianity view Christians in a somewhat negative light. This has been an earned reputation, unfortunately. Some awful things have been said in the name of Christ or by the so-called leaders of American Christianity. Pat Robertson blaming Haiti this week, for instance. Or protestors at military funerals calling America's sin of homosexuality the reason those soldiers died. Or others suggesting that the Republican party is the moral majority (or that the Conservative Right is synonymous with Christianity).
I would guess that common criticisms of Christian's by non-believers include:
- intolerant
- ignorant
- hypocritical
- self-righteous
- condescending
(Feel free to include more in the response section if you feel so inclined).
This is partly a result of a lack of humility, in my opinion. I also feel like many offensive approaches towards non-believers has been taken in the name of "evangelism." Instead of winning hearts, many "Christians" seem driven by simply proving they are right. Or improving membership numbers.
I don't mean this to sound entirely critical of Christianity. I claim that identity, after all. Parts of the negative opinion are a result of a dismissive media bent on advocating cultural relativism. I don't have a problem, for instance, with a reputation that calls Christianity intolerant. Some individual's definition of intolerance is not including everybody and allowing everything. Therefore, when people like Rick Warren (an exceptionally responsible leader of the church, in my opinion) indicate when interviewed that the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin, many in the media want to scream of bigotry. That's silly. It's not wrong to have core beliefs. Rick Warren (and many other responsible Christians) welcomes all into his church. But's it also his job to state the church's core beliefs. To call that intolerance is the same as saying Jews are intolerant for not allowing for the fact that a Messiah has come. Or atheists are intolerant for not allowing for the fact that a Supreme Deity exists. Pure foolishness.
I hope that mixed in with the negative parts of Christianity's reputation, some positive exists as well. There are many passionate Christians working hard for the good of all. They are selfless, and they ask for no earthly reward for their acts of charity and goodwill. Perhaps enough will continue in this way to create an increasingly positive view of this part of my "culture."
Many people outside of Christianity view Christians in a somewhat negative light. This has been an earned reputation, unfortunately. Some awful things have been said in the name of Christ or by the so-called leaders of American Christianity. Pat Robertson blaming Haiti this week, for instance. Or protestors at military funerals calling America's sin of homosexuality the reason those soldiers died. Or others suggesting that the Republican party is the moral majority (or that the Conservative Right is synonymous with Christianity).
I would guess that common criticisms of Christian's by non-believers include:
- intolerant
- ignorant
- hypocritical
- self-righteous
- condescending
(Feel free to include more in the response section if you feel so inclined).
This is partly a result of a lack of humility, in my opinion. I also feel like many offensive approaches towards non-believers has been taken in the name of "evangelism." Instead of winning hearts, many "Christians" seem driven by simply proving they are right. Or improving membership numbers.
I don't mean this to sound entirely critical of Christianity. I claim that identity, after all. Parts of the negative opinion are a result of a dismissive media bent on advocating cultural relativism. I don't have a problem, for instance, with a reputation that calls Christianity intolerant. Some individual's definition of intolerance is not including everybody and allowing everything. Therefore, when people like Rick Warren (an exceptionally responsible leader of the church, in my opinion) indicate when interviewed that the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin, many in the media want to scream of bigotry. That's silly. It's not wrong to have core beliefs. Rick Warren (and many other responsible Christians) welcomes all into his church. But's it also his job to state the church's core beliefs. To call that intolerance is the same as saying Jews are intolerant for not allowing for the fact that a Messiah has come. Or atheists are intolerant for not allowing for the fact that a Supreme Deity exists. Pure foolishness.
I hope that mixed in with the negative parts of Christianity's reputation, some positive exists as well. There are many passionate Christians working hard for the good of all. They are selfless, and they ask for no earthly reward for their acts of charity and goodwill. Perhaps enough will continue in this way to create an increasingly positive view of this part of my "culture."
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Evangelism: A Response
My last post created some great questions, and I'd like to address my stance on those here. First, I'd like to clarify the last post a bit. My main message wasn't that I believe I need to evangelize more (though I understand that it looks like that after reading). The realization I had come to is that I simply wasn't thinking enough about what I want for others; I had too much focus on self, and to use a metaphor from the last post, I realized I've been ignoring the forest for the most part. I don't want my story to only have one character, and I want to participate in the larger story about the forest.
However, I'm glad evangelism came up, and I'm glad I got asked some direct questions. The questions I'll address include:
1. Is the goal of "good" Christians to evangelize? Did Christ evangelize while on Earth? Is it our job to worry about the forest?
2. When you say, "I've got to care about them having life. . ." are you solely referring to Christian life? Do those who do not believe in Christ have any less of a life than those that do believe?
3. Can one care for and nurture others without Christ in their lives?
Here are some of my thoughts:
I believe it is absolutely essential for Christians to worry about the forest. Christ's Great Commission is to go out and make disciples of all nations (see end of both Matthew and Mark). Christ's example was that of huge empathy for all people, believers or not. However, when you look at his service and help for non-believers, his goal was always to give them eternal life, not just help. I'm thinking here about the prostitute at the well, Zacheus, a couple of blind guys, a woman getting stoned to death. He didn't just help; he taught and helped. One comment from the last post mentioned that Christ often told people to keep a miracle quiet. His goal in the miracle, though, was to "evangelize." And my reading of the New Testament leads me to believe that Christ didn't believe he would be able to work as effectively if word got out too early of some of his miracles. He had a plan, he had timing, and he stuck to it.
Having said that, I believe the goal for Christians in helping others shouldn't be to try to trick them or bribe them into agreeing with us about a deity. Christ's example was love for all and empathy for all. Helping others is about representing Christ: unconditional love for the welfare of others. And I don't think it's the responsibility of a "good" Christian (whatever that is) to help others. I believe a mature Christian wants to help others and is naturally concerned with their welfare at all times, not just when their need for help is obvious. Here is where I believe I'm more immature at this stage of my life. This is what I spoke of wanting to work on in my last post.
In terms of non-believers, here's what I'll say. First, I don't believe non-believers have less of a life than believers. I believe they have less of a life than they could if they were believers. I don't believe their life is less important; I just believe Christ would fill that life in a way that a non-believer can't even conceive.
If I care about you, I want the best for you. I believe the best for you is a relationship with Christ. I believe Nutty Bars make my life better; therefore, I suggest to others that they might enjoy Nutty Bars. I believe running is a great activity, so I suggest that to others. I believe UNI is a great school (undergrad, anyway), so I tell people that. It's not a desire to be right; it's a desire to share joy. And I have found no greater joy in my life than Christ.
Also, this isn't a belief for me. I know it in the core of my being. That's a convenient thing to say, but I don't know how else to explain it. I don't believe that research suggests, or history has shown, or all signs point to, or my parents taught me that. . . I am as sure about the existence of God as I am that if I drop something, it will fall to the ground. I believe winter sucks. I believe President Obama was the best choice for president last fall, and I believe he's screwed up a lot so far. I believe Diet Coke is better than Diet Pepsi, and I believe most movies with Will Ferrell (exception: Stranger than Fiction) are not funny at all. But Christ I know. And I want that joy for everybody.
By evangelizing, I don't mean I'm desperate to tell you my faith story every time I see you or that I've got to have a powerpoint presentation or a 5 step plan ready to present every time I'm with non-believers. When I look at my friends, I bet at least 1/2 are non-believers. Most, I think, would say that I'm not abrasive about my faith. I also hope, however, that most would say they know it's important to me. I try to live my life in a way that those around me know what I believe and know how that affects me. I should be representing Christ in all that I do. I want my life to sell people on Christ. Is that enough? Am I doing my job as a Christian? I don't know. But at this point, that's my approach. Love, help, exhibit patience and joy and passion, and make sure those around me know where all of that comes from.
Can non-believers have empathy? Can they love and help and have patience and joy and passion? Absolutely. They can lead inspiring lives. But I believe they would have infinitely more of all those things if Christ were in their lives, and I believe their eternal fate is on the line. And I care about their eternal fate. If I don't, I'm not sure I'm following who I say I'm following.
What did I miss? Let the commentary continue. . .
However, I'm glad evangelism came up, and I'm glad I got asked some direct questions. The questions I'll address include:
1. Is the goal of "good" Christians to evangelize? Did Christ evangelize while on Earth? Is it our job to worry about the forest?
2. When you say, "I've got to care about them having life. . ." are you solely referring to Christian life? Do those who do not believe in Christ have any less of a life than those that do believe?
3. Can one care for and nurture others without Christ in their lives?
Here are some of my thoughts:
I believe it is absolutely essential for Christians to worry about the forest. Christ's Great Commission is to go out and make disciples of all nations (see end of both Matthew and Mark). Christ's example was that of huge empathy for all people, believers or not. However, when you look at his service and help for non-believers, his goal was always to give them eternal life, not just help. I'm thinking here about the prostitute at the well, Zacheus, a couple of blind guys, a woman getting stoned to death. He didn't just help; he taught and helped. One comment from the last post mentioned that Christ often told people to keep a miracle quiet. His goal in the miracle, though, was to "evangelize." And my reading of the New Testament leads me to believe that Christ didn't believe he would be able to work as effectively if word got out too early of some of his miracles. He had a plan, he had timing, and he stuck to it.
Having said that, I believe the goal for Christians in helping others shouldn't be to try to trick them or bribe them into agreeing with us about a deity. Christ's example was love for all and empathy for all. Helping others is about representing Christ: unconditional love for the welfare of others. And I don't think it's the responsibility of a "good" Christian (whatever that is) to help others. I believe a mature Christian wants to help others and is naturally concerned with their welfare at all times, not just when their need for help is obvious. Here is where I believe I'm more immature at this stage of my life. This is what I spoke of wanting to work on in my last post.
In terms of non-believers, here's what I'll say. First, I don't believe non-believers have less of a life than believers. I believe they have less of a life than they could if they were believers. I don't believe their life is less important; I just believe Christ would fill that life in a way that a non-believer can't even conceive.
If I care about you, I want the best for you. I believe the best for you is a relationship with Christ. I believe Nutty Bars make my life better; therefore, I suggest to others that they might enjoy Nutty Bars. I believe running is a great activity, so I suggest that to others. I believe UNI is a great school (undergrad, anyway), so I tell people that. It's not a desire to be right; it's a desire to share joy. And I have found no greater joy in my life than Christ.
Also, this isn't a belief for me. I know it in the core of my being. That's a convenient thing to say, but I don't know how else to explain it. I don't believe that research suggests, or history has shown, or all signs point to, or my parents taught me that. . . I am as sure about the existence of God as I am that if I drop something, it will fall to the ground. I believe winter sucks. I believe President Obama was the best choice for president last fall, and I believe he's screwed up a lot so far. I believe Diet Coke is better than Diet Pepsi, and I believe most movies with Will Ferrell (exception: Stranger than Fiction) are not funny at all. But Christ I know. And I want that joy for everybody.
By evangelizing, I don't mean I'm desperate to tell you my faith story every time I see you or that I've got to have a powerpoint presentation or a 5 step plan ready to present every time I'm with non-believers. When I look at my friends, I bet at least 1/2 are non-believers. Most, I think, would say that I'm not abrasive about my faith. I also hope, however, that most would say they know it's important to me. I try to live my life in a way that those around me know what I believe and know how that affects me. I should be representing Christ in all that I do. I want my life to sell people on Christ. Is that enough? Am I doing my job as a Christian? I don't know. But at this point, that's my approach. Love, help, exhibit patience and joy and passion, and make sure those around me know where all of that comes from.
Can non-believers have empathy? Can they love and help and have patience and joy and passion? Absolutely. They can lead inspiring lives. But I believe they would have infinitely more of all those things if Christ were in their lives, and I believe their eternal fate is on the line. And I care about their eternal fate. If I don't, I'm not sure I'm following who I say I'm following.
What did I miss? Let the commentary continue. . .
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