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Christian Issues

Bearing Witness, Feeling Helpless, and Straining to Hear

by Davin Franklin-Hicks in Christian Issues

Trigger Warning: this article is about sexual assault and may be triggering to survivors.

 

In 1998, I lived in Willowvale, South Africa and taught seventh grade as a missionary for a fundamentalist church.  I was 19, away from home, and living with other American teachers, most of whom were around my age.

For one school break, many of my fellow teachers took trips to game parks and such, while I stayed behind with another teacher named Kendra. One night, Kendra and I were sitting in the living room area. It was very late. We were both night owls. We were reminiscing, telling stories from our lives. It was a quiet, beautiful night. We were enjoying each other’s company, when suddenly we heard a woman screaming, unsure if it was playful or harmful.

We gave our full attention to hear in the silence. The sound of my heartbeat was in my ears–I was on full alert. We heard her again, only this time it was louder and the woman was crying. Then we heard the man. Her screams and cries were even worse. She was being raped.

Kendra and I stared at each other, pleadingly. Helplessness overwhelmed us and we started crying. We began to rock, our knees to our chest, the closest we could come to a fetal position without the vulnerability of lying on the floor.

These two 19 year olds, alone in a land not their own with no access to any emergency services and no ability to intervene. We sobbed as we heard the woman sobbing. We held onto each other and prayed it… [Read more…] about Bearing Witness, Feeling Helpless, and Straining to Hear

How Denominations Destroy Faith

by Russell Croft in Christian Issues

‎This guest post is by Russell Croft.

First, let me begin with a disclaimer. I am not anti-denomination or, for that matter, anti-church. I love the rich frameworks and traditions of faith that have been passed down to us through the ages, and the way that new denominations are continually popping up all over the world, seeking greater understandings of God and exploring fresh avenues for worship and connection with him and with each other.

There is something of a unity in the body of Christ, despite the differences that define the particular denomination or tradition to which we personally subscribe. Whether we are Catholic, Pentecostal, or Methodist, Jesus binds us together as brothers and sisters in faith.

There is a lot we can learn from each other as we share our differing perspectives and understandings of Jesus. That is, if we can dare to be a little vulnerable and admit that maybe we don’t have God all figured out.

Being more “right”

This is the danger of denominationalism. When our faith traditions take their statements of faith and hold them up as the be all and end all of who Jesus is. When our particular teachings are held up as superior to those of other denominations, writing them off as misguided at best or heretical at worst. It seems to be the nature of the human condition, to keep God in the box of our understanding, not allowing him outside of the confines of what we know.

Differences in understanding can be good. They can add… [Read more…] about How Denominations Destroy Faith

Why a Perfect God Can Only Lead to Atheism

by Brian Niece in Christian Issues

This guest post is by Brian Niece.

There is a popular understanding of God that holds God as perfect. Of course, there are many definitions of “perfect.” Perfection could mean: flawless, absolute, exact, or complete. But most of these definitions give us a God that is immutable. “Immutable” is a churchy word that means “unchanging over time and unable to be changed.”

I say this is a churchy word, because the word “immutable” exists nowhere in the Bible. It is a concept gleaned from a slightly off-kilter reading of the text. An immutable God cannot move, cannot act, but can only exist as the opposite from everything else, like some divine dark matter.

The inherent problem with projecting a perfect God is that it leaves theology nowhere to go, and nothing to do. Theology that has nowhere to go is simply metaphysics. By definition, “metaphysics” are concepts that deal with abstractions and have no basis in reality. Thinking about God in a way that matters must have something to do with reality and must connect with people.

Many of us would prefer a God who connects with reality and connects with people. If God were wholly and ultimately unchanging and unable to change, what would be our connecting point? There would be none.

The contemporary predicament of God is one of misperception. The traditional theistic classification of God emphasizes the changelessness of God, the extreme independence of God, the absolute control of God, and God’s… [Read more…] about Why a Perfect God Can Only Lead to Atheism

What’s an Evangelical Voting Bloc?

by Bette Moore in Christian Issues

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I was an Evangelical Christian before I could walk or talk. At Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena, California, the Sunday School class for infants was called the “Cradle Roll”–and I’m sure I had perfect attendance! It seems like I must have spent as much time at church as I did at school in my early years.

One of my earliest memories is a story illustrated with pictures that the teacher would add to a flannel-graph board as the plot unfolded. (Perhaps an early version of PowerPoint?) It was about a little girl who was caught in a “web of sin” when she did terrible things like steal a cookie and lie to her mother about taking it, or get mad at her little brother and yell at him. The teacher added a picture of a large black spider to the board above the little girl, and every time she would do something bad, a piece of black thread was put over her body until she was completely trapped in that terrible web. I was in the second grade. That was when I accepted Jesus as my personal savior for the first time and, like the little girl, was “set free by the blood of Jesus.”

I know I didn’t understand what any of that meant at that time, but I also know I felt very good after I accepted Jesus into my heart. From then on I went forward whenever an altar call was given, until I learned that you only have to be “born again” once. The church continued to be the center of our family life throughout my childhood.

Sadly,… [Read more…] about What’s an Evangelical Voting Bloc?

Christians need to be honest about biblical contradictions (especially in the Bible's different portrayals of God)

by Chuck Queen in Christian Issues

Christian leaders and churches need to admit that we have done a poor job in teaching parishioners how to read biblical texts critically. Perhaps Christians wouldn’t believe and do such silly things if they had been taught to read the Bible critically before trying to appropriate it spiritually.

The Revised Common Lectionary on the seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost of Year C pairs Exodus 32:7-14 with Luke 15:1-10, providing Christian preachers a wonderful opportunity to talk about the importance of reading the biblical text critically, honestly facing the inconsistencies.

In Exodus 32, Moses goes up to the mountain to talk with God and receive God’s instructions. Meanwhile, the people God brought out of Egypt grow impatient and decide to make an image and worship the image. So God says to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn against them and I may consume them, and of you I will make a great nation.” God has lost all patience and is ready to consume them.

But Moses intercedes. Moses says, “Now God, let’s step back, take a deep breath and talk about this. You brought these people out of Egypt by your mighty power. Think about what the other nations and peoples will say about you. Your reputation is on the line here. They will say: ‘The God of Israel brought his people out of Egypt so he could wipe them off the face of the earth.’ Think about how that makes you look. And then too,… [Read more…] about Christians need to be honest about biblical contradictions (especially in the Bible's different portrayals of God)

No Matter How Smart They Think They Are, Atheists Don't Shake My Faith

by Rebecca Chamaa in Christian Issues

I’ve had many discussions with atheists. Well, I don’t know that I would call them discussions, because they usually start out something like, “I can’t believe you believe in those fairy tales.” Right away, I know the person doesn’t respect my worldview, so why is there any point in going on from there? But I often do continue, and, more often than not, they try to trip me up with the question, “If God does exist, why is there so much suffering in the world?” They usually follow that up with the statement, “If God did exist I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with a being so cruel.”

I feel the cool breeze from the bay gently move across my skin. I close my eyes to feel the sensation fully.

The atheist doesn’t shake my faith, even though they think their questions are so good that no one could answer or believe if they seriously contemplated the meaning of their words. But I have contemplated the meaning of their words, and I am still a believer. There, I said it, even though it is such an unpopular thing to be these days: I am a believer. I believe in God, not despite the questions so much as because of them. God is a mystery.

My mother has leukemia. My dad has heart problems. My brother has diabetes. Medicine keeps all of them alive. 

In the Bible, God said, “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” To me, that is the answer to most of the questions I have heard. Fearfully?  Why fearfully? Is it because Creation is bloody and painful, both… [Read more…] about No Matter How Smart They Think They Are, Atheists Don't Shake My Faith

Innocence and Awareness: Questioning Original Sin

by Daniel Verona in Christian Issues

In the churches I grew up in, the story recounted in Genesis 3 was viewed as the moment when sin–Original Sin–entered humanity. In that story, a serpent persuades Eve to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. She does. And so does Adam. These events were called The Fall, a theological tragedy that resulted in our Sin Nature, severed our relationship with God, and created a need for a Savior who could save us from our sin and restore our relationship with God so that we would not burn in hell when we die.

This interpretation of Genesis 3 is common, but is it supported by the text? Here are 11 observations about the Genesis 3 story and its characters (because this one goes to 11):

Traditionally, the serpent in this story is viewed as Satan or the Devil. But it is important to recognize that Genesis 3 never equates the serpent with Satan. There’s not even an implication that the two are the same.
In the ancient world, serpents were common symbols of wisdom, rebirth, and eternal life. Is it surprising that a serpent shows up in Genesis 3? Is it surprising that this serpent is talking about not dying and being like God and knowing all things?
Genesis 3 does not contain any Hebrew words that translate to “sin.” The first instance in the Bible of a Hebrew word that translates to “sin” is in Genesis 4 when God is speaking to Cain.
The term “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil” contains a merism. A merism is a rhetorical tool in which two contrasting… [Read more…] about Innocence and Awareness: Questioning Original Sin

What the Bible Actually Says About Singleness

by Noah Filipiak in Christian Issues

I recently attended a wedding where the pastor used Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 as his text to describe marriage:
Two are better than one…If either of them falls down, one can help the other up…But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
But this text is not about marriage. The lying down together is not sexual, it was simply practical in an era where there was no indoor heating.  You would lie down together so you didn’t freeze! The third strand of the cord is not referring to God; it’s referring to a third human. The context these four verses is humans helping humans. God isn’t going to lie down with you in bed and keep you warm.

When we read ideas about marriage into the text (as the pastor did), it not only belittles singles (“oh pity them!”), it also places an unbiblical emphasis on marriage. It shames singles and portrays them as second-class Christians who God is holding out on.

If you want to use the “cord of three strands” imagery in your marriage ceremony to depict you, your spouse and God, that’s fine.  But don’t preach a sermon saying that the meaning of Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 is for married people in a way that directly precludes its application to single people. The meaning of the text has to do with friendship and community, things that singles are uniquely… [Read more…] about What the Bible Actually Says About Singleness

Let's admit it: When it comes to money, Jesus was a radical and we're not.   

by Chuck Queen in Christian Issues

I am a would-be disciple of Jesus. I say “would-be” because there are some aspects of Jesus’ life and teachings that are beyond me, that I don’t even pretend to aim toward. Consider Jesus’ teachings on money and possessions in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus says,

“Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.” (Luke 6:30)

Let’s be honest, most of us will never seriously attempt to live out this teaching. There is no indication Jesus is employing hyperbole here. It’s a direct, clear injunction that I will never aspire to obey (and most of you won’t either). I’m not going to give “to everyone” who asks, and if someone takes away my possessions I’m calling the cops.

Jesus also says,

“Sell your possessions, and give alms.” (Luke 12:33)

When I ask, “How much am I supposed to sell and give away?” I am already headed down the opposite path. If I am as kingdom centered as Jesus was, then I would be asking: How much can I give away and still thrive? Jesus told at least one very wealthy man to give it all away (Luke 18:18-25).

In Luke’s portrayal of the expansion of the church in the book of Acts, he describes a church that took Jesus’ teaching on possessions seriously. There are some commentators who think this is an idealistic portrait rather than a historical reflection. Either way, here’s Luke’s portrayal of the church taking Jesus’ teaching on possessions seriously:

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and… [Read more…] about Let's admit it: When it comes to money, Jesus was a radical and we're not.   

What the Old Testament Has to Say about This Election

by David Ramos in Christian Issues

Without a doubt, this election has become one to remember. We have seen numerous candidates rise and fall in the public eye over the last year, but one has made more noise than all of the others combined. Just hearing his name incites a visceral reaction–either the feeling of rising hope, or of deep-seated disgust. His name represents something to everyone. But if you think he is the first (or last) candidate to have such a divisive rise to power, think again.

I’m of course talking about Mr. Trump, but if you traveled back in time some 3,000 years, another figure would have been in the public spotlight. It was during an age of struggle and uncertainly, much like our own. The man rose onto the scene promising that things would get better and that the people would finally get the sort of lives they both wanted and deserved. His “election” was unprecedented (1 Samuel 8). From a nation of prophets and priests rose the first king of Israel: Saul.

Saul was a man of the people. He was tall, strong, and good looking. On top of that, he was a get-things-done kind of guy. The nation quickly rallied around him as he beckoned them to follow his lead. And it worked, for a short time. Saul led Israel to become more than it was, but still less than it could be. Eventually, everything came crashing down. Saul destroyed his own legacy and brought Israel down with him.

Is Trump our modern day Saul? Maybe, maybe not. However, if we are going to be responsible Christians, responsible… [Read more…] about What the Old Testament Has to Say about This Election