I Am the Moral Authority

I’ve written hundreds of papers and participated in numerous discussions over the past decade regarding a vast array of issues.  In school, it is important to master the subject.  One must be able to speak to all posed questions with proven understanding. 

As I started to present my ideas within the public arena, my school experience shifted right over with me.  I was no longer making a sales pitch to a professor in hopes of a high grade.  Instead, I was presenting my own ideas in the form of opinion to a group of people who had far different opinions.  When the debate became cyclical, or if the others did not disagree, it would affect my opinion of them.  They were wrong and I was right.  They were stupid and I was brilliant.  I feel like an idiot admitting this, but lets go ahead and clear the path.

I’ve already written of political comparisons so I am not going to go there again.  I wanted to speak of a fascination I have with myself.  Whenever I would debate, or write about something I was truly passionate about (in the past), I always felt like I was the authority, as well as the moral authority, over the subject matter.  This is what I thought in my little brain.  Out of the billions of opinions and billions of personalities, somehow my way of seeing things was the correct way.  I would be lying if I said this self-righteousness doesn’t pop out now and again.

It is important for me to pinpoint how this affected my relationships.  As I continued to push, others began to pull away.  As I insisted, others resisted.  As I stomped my foot, others were crushed.  The world became a lonely place, and I was the victim.  Right? 

How is this so?  For me, it wasn’t just the issues.  I took everything personally.  If it wasn’t Conservative, then I viewed it as offensive (I have grown to hate this word).  If it wasn’t Christian, then it was satanic and irreparable.  So if you weren’t like me, then we weren’t cool.

Over the past few months (election season), many strong, stubborn extremists, from both sides, have arisen and are overbearingly present wherever I look.  Discussion no longer exists.  All that remains is finger-pointing, damnation, judgement, spite, and the ugliest vitriol I have ever seen.  It reminds me of all the time I spent in that dark, lonely place where my time was spent in the study of how to defeat others intellectually and morally.  It reminded me that I have no desire to be in that place ever again. 

So allow me this moment to laugh at myself.  I have become tame.  I really enjoy reading the thoughts of others, especially when the writing is filled with true thought, respect, and love for other people.  The conversations are fruitful and further the issues at hand.  The type of love that should exist, actually exists.

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." - Philippians 2 v. 3.

Post Script:

I wrote this piece last night and sat on it for a moment.  During this time, I stumbled across a video on YouTube that supplements this piece well.  Give it a whirl through the link seen below.

A Girl's Message to All Christians

True Christian = Republican. Right?

Got you!

Every election year, I am reminded of the waves of political rhetoric that pour out of every corner of the earth all vying for a foot forward in each specific race.  I am bombarded with junk mail, email, television commercials, grocery store stalkers, and worst of all, social media opinionates.  I used to think hell would consist of a small room with a record player spinning the “Best of the Eagles” for all eternity.  Maybe, instead, it will be a room with a television set playing political adds with the Eagles playing softly in the background?

It is what it is.  I have a mute button on the remote for a reason.  I use it during election season. Extensively.

I cannot escape, however, the constant comparisons of Christianity and political affiliation.  These comparisons come from a vast amount of people.  I find these comparisons to be satirical and blindingly ignorant to the Gospel.

I consider myself to be a firm believer in Conservative values and will argue them accordingly.  I will not, however, draw a proverbial line in the sand when it comes to making some sort of parallel between Liberals and their perceived inability to follow Christ.  Who are we to draw that line? 

Now I know my fellow Conservatives and Republicans are foaming at the mouth with answers.  Check it out.  I know what you are going to say about abortion, gay marriage, and the dangers of socialism.  Hear me out.  It is fundamentally irresponsible to say that all Liberals are on board with the issues I mentioned above.  It is also fundamentally wrong to say that everyone on the right, or in the middle, has the same feelings regarding these moral and political issues.  You have no idea what God might be wrestling with in the heart of a person.

I am going to say something right now that is going to piss a lot of my friends off.  There are Liberals that are also Christians!  How do I know?  Because the blood shed on the cross from my Lord and Savior soaked the earth for them as much as it did for me.  To even suggest that a Liberal, Democrat, or Republican, cannot be covered by the same pure act of love and mercy is to be completely ignorant of everything Christ ever taught.

Political affiliation does not save us.  It does not define who we are as Christians.  Who we are in Christ is all that matters.

I was having a discussion regarding this issue the other day through a social media outlet.  This person indicated, essentially, that a new Christian, who is a Liberal, will mature and grow in Christ until they hold Republican/Conservative values (this is me breaking the conversation down in a nutshell).  I was floored!  I pictured Christ hanging out at the pearly gates with the Book of Life denying entrance into Heaven because they never quite came around to the Republican view on illegal immigration.

Here is a hard fact.  I sin just as much as any Liberal out there.  You sin as much as any Liberal out there.  We are all in desperate need of a Savior.  If a Liberal comes to this realization and makes a step toward Christ, then who are we to take a shot at their political affiliation?  Christ will move in the life of a Liberal.  He will also move in the life of a Republican.  Isn’t it all equally necessary?

I have mentioned this quote before but I want to mention it again.  A friend of mine hit the nail right on the head with this one.  “If your politics gets in the way of your ability to love others, I’d suggest trading your gospel in for the gospel according to Jesus” (Jason Lohse).

Think about that.  If your politics does not allow you to look at another human being through the true lens of Christs' Gospel, then your politics have become the god that you serve.

Post Script:

I understand the fact that there are those who claim to be followers of Christ who miss the mark completely.  There are even those who claim to be followers of Christ who champion moral issues that are completely opposite of what Christ taught.  I get it.  My argument is against the general labeling of all Liberals and their perceived inability to be Christians based on a political affiliation label.

Also, this is not an argument for suppressing the argument that exists between the right and the left.  I have friends that do this brilliantly and respectfully.  These arguments are necessary.

Tell All Your Friends

Heather and I attended Taking Back Sunday’s ten-year album anniversary show for Tell All Your Friends at the Ogden last night. I have seen Taking Back Sunday on several occasions, but last night held a special place in my heart.

In 2002, my band had just finished the final leg of the U.S. Warped Tour.  Rob and Darin flew home.  Allen and I decided to drive the van up to New York City to play a couple of acoustic shows for our label and distributor.  We spent a few days in New York City and then headed west, back to San Diego.

Taking Back Sunday had just released Tell All Your Friends and Allen had become an instant fan. The record grew on me quickly.  We listened to Tell All Your Friends all the way home.  I remember Allen and I screaming those lyrics at the top of our lungs for hours at a time. The record was so good.  It is still a great record.

Oasis’ Heathen Chemistry was also a popular record in the CD player for that trip.

The guys from Taking Back Sunday have gotten a little older and have lost a little steam.  Granted, they have been touring forever.  I give them some credit.  Last night’s show was good.  It brought back a lot of memories.  I am really glad I was there to be with Heather as she saw them for the first time.

Steven

Tell All Your Friends - # 1185 of 2000

On The Business of Church

A large percentage of people hold bitterness toward the church regarding the idea of tithing.  Let me join the argument by saying that this makes me uneasy as well.  I think we are all overly conscientious when it comes to allocating our money.  This is especially true when it comes to giving money to the church. We have the image of numerous televangelists burned into our brains and the numerous monetary scandals that have come to light over the decades. I think that the concern is legitimate.  Can we discuss this a little?

I don’t get the business of church. Honestly? I think it is poisonous to the intended message. How can one lead a church and expect that the business involved will not have an affect on the intention? While there are many pastors who have done this effectively (through the use of administrative staff and a separation from the business end of it all), numerous others become way too involved in the bill paying process and have allowed the "business" to take over the overall motivation of the intended church.  Allow me to explain.

The church has to worry about overhead and cannot function without money.  This is the reality. Money comes through tithing so it is important to have a decent amount of “butts in seats.”  So when a church grows, it must maintain its numbers or possibly face financial ruin.

A church can deal with this in one of two ways. They can overcompensate by being cutting edge, overly-culturally relevant with a message that bends under the weight of pop-culture, and through cunning business strategies.  Or, they can hand the reigns over to God and allow Him to do His work through an intended message and a crowd of transparent, broken people. I have seen churches grow in both ways. So which choice is legitimate?

Lets think about this for a moment.  Jesus was homeless.  He didn’t have a regular meeting place (church), a worship band, or a microphone.  He had stones to sit on, a mountainside for a venue, and thousands upon thousands of people eager to hear His word. 

Do you see where I am going with this? I don’t understand the business of church because it was never a business to begin with. It is a message that everybody needs to hear. Matthew 18 v. 20 says, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” This is your church! Where you are has no bearing on what Christ will do!

What about tithing? There have been long-winded debates surrounding this issue. Tithing is an issue of heart. It is about letting go of everything that is important to you. Money is important to a lot of people including myself. I spend more money on vinyl and tattoos then I do at church. This is a flaw that has plagued me for years.

Ten percent of your income is the popular figure pushed by the church.  Lets compare this with the widow’s offering as seen in Luke 21 v. 1-4. “As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.  He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.  ‘Truly I tell you,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

The widow in Luke 21 didn’t give ten percent. She gave everything she had. This story has a profound impact on the issue of tithing. 

So what does this look like? Do we give ten percent, or do we give everything?  My answer would be to give something. Time, effort, money, or whatever it is you’ve got.  When you start to give, there is a change of heart. That is the point.  We don’t give out of obligation. We give because we want to. Giving out of obligation is religion. Giving out of total willingness and complete submission to a Savior is the realization of undeserved grace.

Let me wrap this up. I feel the church is very important. For me, it is a place where I go to recharge my batteries.  There are guys at my church who can explain the Bible to me in ways that I cannot comprehend on my own. These leaders supplement my own study and help me to grow in Christ in ways that I never have before. So giving, in my opinion, is important. Churches should survive. It is where the sick should be healed.

Finally, Christ will grow his church naturally. There doesn’t need to be a human push, or unnatural nudge. To do so, is to hold a proverbial hand in God’s face while telling Him that He isn’t working fast enough. When it is time to grow, we will know. It won’t be a secret. It will be completely obvious.  That’s how powerful God is.

Crucifixion at Galgotha

Fundamentalist Me

This drawing, entitled “Fundamentalist” by Robert O. Hodgell, serves as a mirror into my own life.  I have lived through this piece. I have been on both sides of the mask. It was absolutely necessary for me to be that man, crushing others with misguided words bent on a skewed ideology. I had to be that man so that God could truly break me under the severe weight of my own self-righteousness.  When I broke, I broke hard.

This drawing serves as a reminder as to why God became unattractive to me when I was younger.  God didn’t like boys to go on dates with girls unless it involved thirty other Christian teens in a group.  And God didn’t like PG movies unless, of course, it received the thumbs up from Focus on the Family.  God preferred Steven Curtis Chapman to Guns N’ Roses and despised the idea of attending a rock concert that took place anywhere but a church.  God hated homosexuals, anyone who wasn’t a Republican, or anyone who wasn’t Christian. Nothing was good enough, ever. 

Truth be told?  I thought Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith were jokes. Toby Mac was the biggest fraud I had ever seen.  At the time, I would have rather burned in hell than listen to that garbage.

This piece reminds me that the fundamentalist mentality still exists.  Honestly? I struggle with these types of people because it reminds me of the chains I chose to bind myself with when I was younger.  I sank quickly under the weight of the law. I held no concept of the beauty of the gospel.  I spent thirty-plus years studying, memorizing, applying, and never once understood the true application of what I was reading. I spent a lot of those years doing exactly what is seen here in the art. This is why you are going to hell.  This is why liberals are wrong.  This is why homosexuality is wrong.  This is why cussing is wrong.  This is why abortion is wrong. This is why I am right, and you are wrong.

 Does this sound kind of ironic?  I am a professional sinner telling other sinners why they are wrong, and I am right. 

This is not a plea to bow out of everything you are passionate about.  Quite the opposite.  I am still passionate about the issues I have spoken to in the past.  My wife can attest to this. My discovery of God’s grace has simply led me to other venues.  I see people differently, regardless of who they are, or what they represent.  I still hate sin, but have come to love the sinner. 

Hodgell drew other pieces that complete the story.  His depiction of the crucifixion reminded me of the most important truth of all.  A truth that Mr. Fundamentalist fails to see under the tip of his own finger. Christ’s own words, “It Is Finished.” Oh, the joy of true freedom!  Robert Kolb writes, “God promises righteousness and freedom to sinners. That promise contradicts ordinary human expectation. Sinners ought to receive punishment rather than pardon, incarceration rather than freedom. But by the double work of his law and gospel, God teaches sinners to close their eyes to ordinary human expectations and the conclusions of common sense and to open their ears to the promise which offers life and freedom.”

 It took utter ruin to realize this truth.  I still grapple with it, even today. But God’s love is that perfect. It is that flawless. It is un-human.

This is an ugly reminder, and a joyous celebration all in one.