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Christian Issues

Mike Ditka, Eminem and Islamophobia

by Rich Rosendahl in Christian Issues

In the midst of the massively controversial NFL National Anthem kneeling debate, ex-NFL coach Mike Ditka ignorantly said, “But all of a sudden it’s become a big deal now, about oppression. There has been no oppression in the last 100 years that I know of.”

Just days later, Eminem freestyled on the BET Hip Hop Awards, praising Colin Kaepernick for the act of kneeling that Ditka had been critiquing.

So why is it that two white guys, who have spent tremendous amounts of time around black men, have such contrasting views on this issue? And what can this teach us, not only about racism in America, but also about Islamophobia?

There are, of course, many variables that could help explain why these men have such differing perspectives. They’re from different generations, they had different upbringings, and their encounters with black men are in two very different roles in two very different professions. But it’s the latter that I think is intriguing and worth exploring a little more deeply.

For example, much of Mike Ditka’s interactions with black men has been as an NFL coach, twenty years, in fact. In order to achieve success (win football games) in this position, it requires the obedience of the players. I learned this at an early age, having been raised by a high school football coach as well as playing for many other coaches along the way.

A football coach is a position that holds power, and, often, the players become more like a means to an end for them. That’s… [Read more…] about Mike Ditka, Eminem and Islamophobia

Let’s Talk About Priorities, White-Jesus Nation

by Sheri Faye Rosendahl in Christian Issues

Do you remember how Hitler gained power through his grand nationalistic ideals? Really, the Nazi party was simply trying to make Germany great again. So as they gained power through increasing intolerance, and even though they were kind of rigid and fascist, people turned a blind eye, they stayed silent as tensions within became darker than they could have ever imagined. They had only wanted their nation to be great again.

Sound familiar? I hope it does, because as someone who has studied and taught history, what we are seeing in our own self-proclaimed “Christian” nation today looks disturbingly similar. We aren’t at the point of total fascism with a side of genocide, but we are well on our way.

I’m sure most Germans also thought it would never get to the point of mass extermination of people groups in their “civilized” society.

This year—2017—has been overwhelming to the point that there is no longer a great shock value in any of the actions of our new administration. Nothing really surprises me in that realm at this point.

What does surprise me is the fact that we apparently have not learned anything from history as we watch the masses either defend the oppressive nature of our current regime or sit silent, trying to find some middle ground, calling themselves peacemakers at the expense of the suffering of others.

Yeah, I am a bit fiery right now, but I think we all need to be. I mean, let’s look at what has become the norm in our “great nation.”

It’s… [Read more…] about Let’s Talk About Priorities, White-Jesus Nation

American Idol

by Darryl Ward in Christian Issues

Earlier this month, Matt Sessums, from Oxford, Mississippi, was visiting his local Walmart when he saw something that made him look twice. At the entrance to the store he saw tables staffed by three children, who looked like they might be about ten, and two adults, who were doing a fundraiser for their church, the Oasis Church of All Nations, (or, to be more precise, its Transformations Life Center, a discipleship program for people living with addiction). “All proceeds go toward the program to reach the hurting and broken of society,” claimed a post on the church’s currently hidden Facebook page.

But this wasn’t a cake stall, like we might have in my parish, or a charity sausage sizzle, like we see most Saturdays outside some of the bigger stores in my town. This was a raffle. A raffle in which the prizes were two AR-15 military style semiautomatic rifles.

Now before I go any further, let me make it quite clear that I have no issue with private ownership of firearms for legitimate purposes, such as hunting. And—apologies to any vegetarians or vegans who may be reading—I am very partial to wild goat, rabbit, and venison. But I can see no legitimate reason for private citizens owning weapons that are specifically designed to kill the maximum number of people in the shortest possible time.

The timing could not have been much more insensitive. Not even a week had passed since 58 people had lost their lives and about another 500 were wounded in Las Vegas in the deadliest… [Read more…] about American Idol

Faith in the Fog: On Losing Beliefs and Finding God

by Emma Higgs in Christian Issues

This guest post was written by Emma Higgs and is part of her Faith in the Fog series about her experiences with doubt, skepticism, mental health, and forging a different kind of faith. You can follow the entire series on her blog.

There are certain ways Christians talk about God that turn me into an atheist.

I can’t help it. As much as I try to ignore it, my inner skeptic is constantly on the lookout for holes in the God theory. It will find a loose thread and keep tugging until the whole thing unravels. Before I know it, my cherished beliefs in a loving God have disintegrated and I’ve unwittingly written off the entire Christian faith as superstitious nonsense.

Any troubling question or rogue thought can trigger this unravelling process. But few things give my inner skeptic a firmer foothold than Christians making statements of apparent certainty regarding their beliefs.

We are certain that God will prevent this bad thing from happening.

This is definitely what will happen when we die.

This is the one correct interpretation of this two-and-a-half-thousand-year-old passage of Hebrew scripture.

Really?

Sometimes I feel like being a Christian requires me to switch off my brain altogether.

Now, this confidence and assuredness seems to work for a lot of people. But for me, an assertion like that is all it takes for the fog to descend. Questions and doubts start spinning around my… [Read more…] about Faith in the Fog: On Losing Beliefs and Finding God

No, Our Non-Profit Is Not a Ministry

by Sheri Faye Rosendahl in Christian Issues

Christian friends often call the non-profit that my husband and I run a ministry. I know they mean well, but I would like to explain why we are not, and never will be, a ministry.

First of all, The Nations is a non-profit organization — not a religious organization — that works with awesome people who happen to be refugees from the Middle East, because they are amazing humans who our society tends to screw over, dehumanize, and often be straight-up jerks to.

Ministries are usually run by churches or religious organizations that generally have particular goals in their work that we do not.

You see, our goals are to love, serve, and learn from our neighbors who are refugees. It’s that simple. There is no hidden agenda or deeper purpose.

Some of y’all might think, “Lots of ministries in our church try to learn, love and serve, so what’s your problem with being called a ministry?” That’s a valid question.

The term “ministry” is often used in our White-Jesus Christian nation in a manner that implies there is an underlying secret (except everyone knows) agenda: conversion.

To be honest, this idea of converting makes us wildly uncomfortable. We are in no way about the manifest-destiny-like conversion life. We are point-blank trying to love, learn, and serve others, not bring people to religion. To be real, we are not into religion ourselves.

However, we do try to follow the ways of Jesus because he’s a bad ass.

And the thing is that Jesus straight-up said that his greatest… [Read more…] about No, Our Non-Profit Is Not a Ministry

5 Things We’ll Miss If We Take the Bible Too Literally

by Matthew Distefano in Christian Issues

We all want certainty. I get that. It makes us feel better about ourselves. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It makes us feel like the big, bad monster we call “Doubt” isn’t going to get us.

So it is no wonder that, when approaching the Scriptures, many of us opt for literalism above all else. It gives us that sense of security, that sense that we have a grasp on the situation. However, I’ve discovered throughout my long and winding journey that the security we get from biblical literalism is nothing more than a façade. And, when that foundational card in our meticulously built house gets yanked out, down goes the whole thing; our faith crumbles and we are left without even a basic foundation. To use comedian Pete Holmes’ analogy, we are left with an apartment void of all furniture.

Furthermore, when we approach the Bible too literally, we are doing nothing more than embarking on an adventure in missing the point. Sure, we think we are being faithful servants of the almighty God — and perhaps some of us really are — but what we are primarily doing is nothing more than defending a position that, ironically, the Bible never asks us to defend. And when we do this, we end up missing a ton of great things that go on throughout the Bible. I’d like to mention 5 of them.

The Theology of Jesus
There are so many things said about God in the Bible, from the slightly obscure to the out-and-out insane. I won’t get into all of them here — as if we… [Read more…] about 5 Things We’ll Miss If We Take the Bible Too Literally

My Cancer Didn’t Happen for a Reason

by Morgan Bolt in Christian Issues

I’m 25 years old and I have Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumors, a tenacious, rare, and deadly cancer. The last three years of my life have been filled with every sort of cancer treatment available, including dozens of cycles of chemotherapy, numerous surgeries, multiple rounds of radiation, and even experimental clinical trials. It’s been grueling, to say the least. I’m already living on borrowed time, and I have no idea how much more I’ll get.

There’s no good reason for my cancer, and I won’t pretend otherwise. It didn’t happen so I could learn some important lesson, and it isn’t punishment for some sin of mine. My cancer — like a deadly storm or earthquake — is just one of those things that happens when you’re part of an ever-changing world composed of dynamic systems. There doesn’t have to be a clear, palatable, or satisfying answer for why such hardships take place.

I think that’s the main point of the story of Job. Job faces incredible suffering through no fault of his own, though his friends don’t see it that way. They blame Job for his hardships, claiming that if he only repented he would be restored to health and fortune. But Job rebukes such thinking, maintaining his innocence while acknowledging that none are righteous before God. At the end of the story God shows up. God does not reveal to Job a satisfying reason for his suffering. God simply challenges Job, reminding Job of his smallness and insignificance compared to God and all God’s works. God makes it… [Read more…] about My Cancer Didn’t Happen for a Reason

Why Not Sign the Nashville Statement?

by Darrell Lackey in Christian Issues

Joel Belz, the founder of WORLD magazine (a conservative evangelical publication), is a signer of the Nashville Statement and he recently wondered why more evangelicals have not signed it. Indeed, many have noted their problems with the statement, some even coming from conservative quarters. You can read those here, here, and here.

So, I’ll bite. Mr. Belz, here is why I would not sign the Nashville Statement:

You write: “…But for an issue said by some Christian leaders to be the dominant cultural question of our lifetimes…”

Really? Even given the historical cultural results of slavery and current racism in this country? Even given the historical and current sexism in this country? Even given the historical and current wealth imbalance in this country? Even given the continuing poverty and struggle to make ends meet faced by so many in this country? Even given the environmental problems we face? Even given the events leading up to the last election and the results of that election? Even given the events of Charlottesville, and the rise of anti-immigrant sentiments, white supremacy, neo-Nazis, and the Alt-Right?

Even given all the issues and problems such as child/world hunger, lack of social justice, social inequality, crime, civil wars around the globe, people in exile, the various humanitarian crises in many parts of the world, the abject poverty and suffering in the world, this is where the signers’ time was spent, this is what they chose to be… [Read more…] about Why Not Sign the Nashville Statement?

Whose Feet?

by Darrell Lackey in Christian Issues

Even given all the disagreement within the Christian tradition as to theology and church polity, one would hope we still agree that Christians are to serve others with humility and grace. Like the Lord we claim to follow, we are the ones to be washing feet and not the other way around (John 13).

But whose feet are we to wash? Do we wash only the feet of those we agree with, who are a part of our tribe, who we consider friends? Only other Christians — and even then — only those we agree with? Whose feet? Relatedly, are we endorsing or participating somehow, in the views or actions of others, when we serve them?

And what does it mean to serve someone? Is it serving only if done privately? Is it serving if done as a part of business — where profit or employment is involved? We often hear businesses talk about “serving” their customers. Would they serve if we didn’t pay? I doubt it. However, don’t many Christians talk about their businesses as more than just a way to make a living or profit? Don’t they often see them as vehicles for serving others, beyond a profit motive? Can Christians really compartmentalize the times and moments of their calling to serve others?

Let’s look at two specific times Jesus served people who, if we consider his divinity, he knew everything about; or, if we consider his humanity, he knew little-to-nothing about (paradox anyone?). The first is the wedding at Cana (John 2).

Jesus and his mother are invited to a wedding. The host… [Read more…] about Whose Feet?

What If the Great Command of Jesus Was Literally the Entire Point of Following His Ways?

by Sheri Faye Rosendahl in Christian Issues

What if the Great Command of Jesus – love others — was literally the entire point of following his ways? What if you didn’t have an underlying motive of, I don’t know, conversion? What if you are not meant to be a little messiah and in your attempts to “save” others, you are actually putting yourself on a pedestal which effectively dehumanizes others?

To be perfectly transparent, as I expand, I want to challenge your thinking. I want you to rethink your “mission” because I believe you were put on this earth for a greater purpose, one that is far too often overlooked.

Let us ponder Christian ministries for a moment. Basically, these ministries tend to consist of some like-minded folk with a heart for fill-in-the-blank cause in which they are trying to help a need. I’m going to zone in on a particular type of ministry, but the idea can apply to any.

A lot of churches have programs to assist refugees; there is a definite need and it seems to be trendy right now. We see ministries that do things like offer ESL classes and help new arrivals furnish their homes and navigate their new communities. All helpful things, right? The answer is yes, these are helpful things.

However, if I am being honest, it often gets weird quick.

Have you ever heard testimonials or received an email update in which a ministry explains how many people they have “saved?” Or maybe you have read one of those super-secret emails asking for prayers for the opportunity to evangelize… [Read more…] about What If the Great Command of Jesus Was Literally the Entire Point of Following His Ways?