A&E, Suspensions, and the Return of Ancient Cultural Views of Christianity

Last night, A&E announced that Phil Robertson of their smash-hit "Duck Dynasty" was suspended for comments that he made during an interview with GQ Magazine. During the course of the interview, he made several comments that were "antihomosexual" or "antigay," including his stating that homosexuality was a sin (along with swindling, adultery and terrorism, to name a few) and a discourse on his lack of understanding as to why a man would choose a man over a woman. Naturally, the social media world exploded.

The hashtag #istandwithphil emerged from some tweeters, while others were enraged that the original Duck Commander would refer to homosexuality a sin. The point of my post today is not to discuss whether I agree with Mr. Robertson or not. I have posted on my thoughts about homosexuality before, and I get tired of one issue being the entire focus of the Church in the public arena. There are lots of issues that need discussing from a Biblical standpoint, not just homosexuality. If you want my opinions on that, go here or read Romans 1:18-32. Email me and we can chat. That's just not my focus today.

Instead, I want to briefly touch on what is rapidly becoming the norm: the media do not like Jesus.

It really isn't very surprising to me that A&E would make the decision to suspend Phil, and it all boils down to a very simple question: who was the most profitable group to keep happy? Would it benefit A&E more to keep Christians or the LGBT community happy? Think about this, if you can, from A&E's point of view.

They run a business, and it's primary focus is to make money. They had to make a business decision here. They had two options:
     1. Support Phil. This keeps Duck Dynasty untouched, which is easily their most profitable show,
         and it keeps their Christian fan base happy. However, the LGBT community would rake them
         over the coals, thus causing massive PR damage and potentially harming the channel in the
         future.
     2. Reprimand Phil. This option makes a stand for gay rights, and would win massive bonus points
         with much of the more liberal media types, considering A&E would be going against one of its
          biggest stars. However, this would potentially cause the Robertsons to pull out of Duck
          Dynasty, thus costing A&E its biggest show...ever.

They obviously chose option two. They probably assume that Duck Commander CEO Willie Robertson will go into damage control, put together some sort of apology, and business will be back to normal. If he doesn't? Well, Duck Dynasty has had a good run, everyone has made plenty of money, and A&E can send the Robertson clan back to the Outdoor Channel. What this whole ordeal illustrates is just another example of a growing trend: Christianity is becoming marginalized.

It is no longer normal or even socially acceptable to be a Bible-believing Jesus follower in the United States. If you wish to be deemed intelligent, caring, loving, or with the times, then orthodox Christian values cannot be yours. We live in a day where adultery is nearly expected, greed is a cultural norm and several actions that the Bible clearly calls sin are now considered human rights issues. That is why A&E chose the LGBT community over the Christian community: being on the "wrong side" of a civil rights issue is bad for bottom lines. If you stand for a Biblical view of life, then you are deemed at best ignorant and pitiable, and at worst arrogant and hateful. This should not surprise us.

Like Duck Dynasty, the Church has had a good run in the spotlight here in America. Christianity came over when we still had British accents, and has been rooted in our country ever since. Many founding fathers were Christian, as have been many other prominent figures in our nation's history. Yet, we have something else in common with Duck Dynasty: it is shocking that it even happened.

I remember watching Phil, Willie and Jase on the Outdoor Channel with my brother, who was an avid fan of the Robertson family before they were on basic cable. He read Phil's book before it was renamed "Happy, Happy, Happy," and had a poster on his wall of them years ago. So, when it was announced that the guys from Duck Commander were getting a TV show, I was shocked. It was so weird to me. The bearded guys that paint their faces up and hunt are going to be on A&E? No way.

Count it double when the show actually took off. I still sit back and marvel at how that family went from the darlings of hunters to become America's favorite family. It's crazy. And yet, if the early Church leaders looked at the Church in American history, they'd be even more floored.

Think about it: eleven out of the twelve disciples were martyred, with the only survivor being the exiled disciple that Jesus loved, John. John the Baptist was beheaded, and so was Paul. The Church was beaten, stoned, and massacred by both Jewish leaders and Roman authorities during the time that the New Testament was written. The bodies of Christians were used as torches, lighting roadways in the Roman Empire. Riots broke out. It wasn't cool to be a Christian; you only joined The Way if you meant it. In fact, the name "Christian" was originally a derogatory term for these followers of Jesus, insinuating that they were lesser socially. Sound familiar? It should.

The name "Christian" no longer has the positive vibes around it that it once held in America. As I stated earlier, to follow Christ now means to be intolerant and stupid. We hate, according to civil rights activists. We paraphrase ignorantly, according to Macklemore. We don't even know our own God, according to those who claim that Jesus was only about love.

The truth is this: we are called to love, yes, but also to call people to repent. Jesus's first words in ministry were not "all we need is love," but instead "repent, because the kingdom of Heaven has come near" (Matthew 4:17). We are to follow Jesus in this ministry, begging people to turn away from their sin and to God. In order to call someone away from sinful behavior, we are declaring them sinners. We are stating that, like ourselves, these people are in rebellion to God. They have done wrong. As Phil said to GQ:

"Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God."

People do not appreciate being told that they are not perfect. I don't, for that matter. The fact is, however, that every person on this earth is born into a life of sin. We are all sinners, and that sin has us destined for Hell without turning from it and running into the gracious love of our Savior. This truth, this Gospel, is not deemed good news by someone who believes that they have not done wrong. Thus, just as the call to repent caused John the Baptist, Paul, Peter, and even Jesus to be hated, we will be hated.

The Church has, by the grace of God, had a long time of peace, acceptance and popularity here in the States. However, we are rapidly headed for a time where we will be hated. This is only the beginning. People will not suddenly enjoy the call to repentance; they will only loathe it more and more, and in turn, the same loathing will grow toward those who call. We must remain faithful, no matter what, and remember that the world does not like us. Satan has blinded the heart of the unbeliever, so we cannot expect those who are in rebellion to God to tolerate or accept us, even if they expect the same out of us. Persecution, intolerance towards God's people and a hatred for  the call to repentance has existed since the Church began; the Church in America is just seeing it with a different coat of paint.

Two Criminals and Red Pictures

 

"Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at Him: 'Aren’t You the Messiah? Save Yourself and us!'

But the other answered, rebuking him: 'Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!'
 
And He said to him, “I assure you: Today you will be with Me in paradise.'” -Luke 23:39-43, HCSB

Yesterday, we discussed the critics of Jesus that were underneath Him, laughing at Him and His position. Today, we look at the stance of two people, both condemned to death.

There were three crosses standing at Golgotha on Good Friday. One, the one in the middle, held Jesus. However, the two men flanking Him to His right and left were merely common criminals.

One guy (who I will call Rafael) was also mocking Jesus, questioning His power, but also calling on Him to save him from His predicament. Rafael almost seems to buy into the truth about Jesus, yet won't totally believe in Him until Jesus proves Himself, all for the benefit of this criminal. All in all, he won't believe that Jesus is who He says He is until something happens to help himself. Rafael wants what is best for Rafael. 

The other guy (let's call him Eric), meanwhile, calls out Rafael for mocking Jesus. He even goes so far as to admit Jesus' innocence, and supports a lifestyle of fearing God. We then see Eric asking Jesus to remember him when Christ goes into His kingdom, and Jesus tells him "today you will be with me in Paradise." Eric is saved from eternal death.

As I read this story, I was also thinking about the debate over whether the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender) community should be able to marry whomever they want. Some argue that religion should have no voice in the arena of government, while others claim that we should only have the Bible. Some claim that gay rights are the new civil rights, and some claim that they are not related at all.

Many of my Christian brothers and sisters have been rebuking those who support the marriage of same-sex couples. They have essentially been playing the part of the Eric, calling out the Rafaels for failing to fear God.

There is good in this. As long as rebuke is done with grace and gentleness, it is good to call people to turn from sin. A quick reading of any one of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) will show that Jesus regularly did this. It is biblical and right to call for people to repent of their sinful lifestyles.

However, Eric did something that many Christians tend to forget in this debate. He admitted his wrong past. He told Rafael that they were both guilty and deserving of death.

Christians, we are not more righteous in our lives than any other "sinner." We are not above the LGBT community. If you would like to look through the Gospels, you'll see that Jesus regularly ate and hung out with the "sinners," the people that the over-righteous Pharisees shunned for their lifestyles.

Back then, it was tax collectors and prostitutes. Now it's lesbians and transsexuals. Same story, different roles.

I am not supporting a gay/homosexual lifestyle. I believe that the Bible condemns such a lifestyle, and that all who live like that should repent and come to God. However, Christians, we are not to cast stones and beat people down and act like we have it all together. We're sinners, too. We also once (and many still act as such) were living self-centered, self-pleasing lifestyles of the flesh.

We are a broken race, we humans. Gay, jealous, lustful, hating, drunk... the list goes on. Whichever sins have defined your life have made you just as guilty before God as anyone else. That's why we all needed grace, the undeserved gift of Christ's death for us on a cross. It was on that cross that He took the wrath of God for all sin: homosexuality or judgmentalism. Let's show love and grace to all, and show everyone the nature of God in our actions and with our words.

We must point people away from themselves and their selfish, sinful desires, yes. But if we point ourselves instead of pointing to Jesus and His greatness, we're failing at our rebuke and are sinning ourselves.

Call to repent, Christians, but in doing so, don't forget that someone once had to call you to repent. Otherwise, you'd still be dead in sin, too.

For more of my thoughts on this, check out these two posts I wrote a while back from my unChristian series, which was about how Christians are often viewed, and how Christians should act instead:

unChristian, Part Three: Antihomosexual
unChristian, Part Six: Judgmental

Let's Just Worship

A worship guide for the new year (and the rest of our lives):

"Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary."

- Psalm 96:1-6, NIV

 

Isn't this a great passage? It has a lot to it, and I really just wanted to share this with you all today. Let's break it down, and I hope you follow each section, worshipping Him:

 

"Sing to the LORD a new song, sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise His name...": Oh, sing to the Lord! Sing with all your heart. May the whole planet, nay, the entire universe sing to Him who is seated above all! He is worth of all praise and glory and honor, forever and ever and ever! Praise His great name, the Name that is above all names!

 

"Proclaim his salvation day after day, declare His glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples...": The natural result of, or perhaps better called the continuation of, worshipping our Lord is the declaration of His splendor and majesty and power to the nations for all to hear. If we truly worship Him, it will spill over onto into a flowing river of praise from our lips, taking His name to the ends of the earth.

 

"For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens...": There is nothing on this planet or beyond this planet that is worthy of the praise that our God is due. Why? Because He made it all. He made light and dark and land and water and stars and moons and planets. He made birds and fish and plants and mammals and invertebrates and reptiles and amphibians. He made wood and metal and oil and combustion and paper and jewels. He made relationships and power and love and sex and passion and happiness. Everything you could ever make into an idol, anything that you could put over Him (idols don't have to be objects; they are ANYTHING we put over God) was made by Him or forbidden by Him. In fact, the very act of idolatry is sin.

 

Instead we should fear Him. A writer called the fear of God, "the convergence of awe, reverence, adoration, honor, worship, confidence, thankfulness, love, and yes, fear." All of that is what our reaction toward God should be. Anything less isn't up to par.

 

"Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary...": This is why we fear Him. Splendor and majesty and strength and glory surround Him; I don't think I have to expand. I don't even know if I can. Our Lord is so majestic and wonderful and powerful and glorious and beautiful and amazing that words simply do not do Him justice.

 

Just sing a song and worship. Just bow and lift up His name. That is the only fitting response.

Welcome to the New America

^"Where is the philosopher? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish? For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message preached. For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom, because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength." -1 Corinthians 1:20-25, HCSB

This verse speaks of how Christians will be deemed foolish by the world, and in the United States, we've escaped much of this. Our nation has long been a stronghold of Christian belief and religious freedom, regardless of what the rest of the world might think.

But it is all changing.

Yesterday, Louie Giglio withdrew from participating in President Obama's inauguration. The popular pastor of Atlanta's Passion City Church, as well as the founder of the Passion Movement, felt that it was for the betterment of everyone involved if he backed out from the great honor of praying before a presidential election. Why would he feel this way?

Approximately 15-20 years ago, Louie preached a sermon in which he clearly stated the sinful nature of homosexuality. Bear in mind, he didn't rake homosexuals over without stating that everyone sins and that we are all in need of a Savior; from the view of a Christian, this shouldn't be any different that stating the clearly sinful nature of murder or lying. All three actions are sins, and all three will equally deem one worthy of Hell.

Apparently some liberal watchdog group found out about this sermon, and started causing an uproar about how no one should be praying at the inauguration that maintains that homosexuality is a sin. Later, the Obama administration put out a notice that they were sorry for any offense taken to their choice (Louie was chosen to pray due to his work with the President on the abolition of slavery all over the world, and not on any other grounds), and that they would never want to go against the "strength and diversity" of this nation.

Yet, having a scenario where Louie felt the need to step down from this honor is also going against diversity. Now, due to this precedent, no evangelical pastor who holds to Scripture (1 Timothy 1:10) and believes that homosexuality is a sin is eligible to pray over the president's inauguration. As the president of the Southern Baptist Seminary, Albert Mohler, stated:

 

"The Presidential Inaugural Committee and the White House have now declared historic, biblical Christianity to be out of bounds, casting it off the inaugural program as an embarrassment. By its newly articulated standard, any preacher who holds to the faith of the church for the last 2,000 years is persona non grata. By this standard, no Roman Catholic prelate or priest can participate in the ceremony. No Evangelical who holds to biblical orthodoxy is welcome. The vast majority of Christians around the world have been disinvited. Mormons, and the rabbis of Orthodox Judaism are out. Any Muslim imam who could walk freely in Cairo would be denied a place on the inaugural program. Billy Graham, who participated in at least ten presidential inaugurations is welcome no more. Rick Warren, who incited a similar controversy when he prayed at President Obama’s first inauguration, is way out of bounds. In the span of just four years, the rules are fully changed."

 

There are many times when I am not a huge fan of President Mohler, but his post on this issue was spot on. Religion, particular evangelical Christianity, is being pushed out of the way in this nation. No longer is a biblical worldview the norm, or even acceptable to many.

 

Now is the time, Church in America. Now is the time to figure out where you stand. I believe that the next 20 or 30 years will change the religious structure in this nation completely, as the "wise" continue to ostracize and mock the people holding to truth of Christ. If you look at Europe, and the fall of religion there, it isn't unlikely that we will follow suit.

 

During the time that Paul wrote the words of 1 Corinthians, the Greeks were considered the wisest people around. Their use of logic and knowledge of the world made them a brilliant empire, and one that we still follow after today. Interestingly (and sadly), the United States is becoming much like the Greeks: arrogant in their knowledge and prideful in their logic. Much of this country, particularly young people (my generation) believe that the ways of religious orthodoxy are obsolete, ignorant of the world, and even hateful towards the rights of others.

 

To all of this, I simply say: "Yet, to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God's power and wisdom, because God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength."

 

You may mock us, disregard us, and call us whatever you like. My Savior died for me and I will reign with Him forever, regardless of what the world calls wise.

 

unChristian, Part Six: Judgmental

Luke have several friends who are, well, colorful. Luke has met these people at various places: work, college, high school. They may have multi-colored hair, tattoos, facial piercings, or other "different" physical features. They may be a bit rough around the edges, with some less desirable habits and less desirable language. They may not be interested in "cool" things or dress how "everyone else" does. Yet, they are his friends. He cares about them. They talk, hang out, whatever. Yet, Luke is not super stoked about inviting them to a church with him, be it his own or another one.

This lack of interest isn't that Luke thinks they would turn him down; they might, but that isn't holding him back. Instead, it is the attitude of people in churches that scares him. If he were to bring his friend with blue, streaky hair or his friend with a nose ring or that plays computer games eighteen hours a day or his friend with tats all over their arms, would the church members accept them? Would the church welcome them with open arms, or be appalled at their miserable fashion sense? Would the mohawked kid be a new friend, or a freak to gossip about? Sadly, this is a legitimate set of questions. Church, we have a problem.

Luke is not real, as in I am not sharing a direct story. Instead, Luke represents many young Christians in the United States, and around the world, who are concerned about the attitudes of the Church. Not that young people are perfect; in fact, youth groups can be the most intense shark tanks of vicious judgmentalism in the churches. Churches in general, though, are seen as places full of judgmental people, and I can't say that I disagree.


Think about it: if a person different from you came to your church, would you welcome them? What about all of Luke's friends I listed earlier? What about a person who is wealthier than you? Poorer? A different race than you? An individual with different political views? What about the girl that is pregnant out of wedlock, or the gangsta drug dealer? Are these people going to be met from you at the door, or will you turn your back?

These are hard questions. We do not naturally gravitate to people who are vastly different than us. There's a reason we have the friends that we have; we have things in common with them. Yet, we have a lot more in common with those different than us than we may think. We are all sinners. We all live in a fallen world full of temptations. We all have regrets. We all have no ability to save ourselves. We all need the grace and love of Christ to survive the punishment we deserve for our rebellion against the Father.

"23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." -Romans 3:23, HCSB


Observe: Paul said "all." He did not say anything about "only some" have fallen short. We all did.

"19 Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 20 Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." -Matthew 28:19-20, The Message Bible

Observe: Jesus said "everyone you meet." Other versions say "all nations." He doesn't say anything about "the people you meet who have things in common with you" or "the nations that are like you." He said to tell everyone about Jesus.

"6 God opposes arrogant people, but he is kind to humble people.” -James 4:6, God's Word Translation

Observe: you ain't too cool to befriend anyone. James is quoting a passage from Proverbs, saying that God doesn't like arrogant people. Fact is, you aren't too cool for anything.


This is the final unChristian post, and it is really a wrap-up of sorts. We are supposed to love everyone, and not judge them. It's God's job to judge the world, not ours. The fact is that Christ came to Earth in order to save us from our screw-ups. We are rebellious people. We go against God, but out of His love we have been offered the chance to fulfill our purpose in life: to worship and praise God through everything we do. One of the best ways we can do that is by loving the people He made, and welcoming them into His Church. This love of others, if done to it's full potential, will allow us to overcome all of these unChristian attitudes.

Hypocritical? No more. Conversion-obsessed? Gone. Antihomosexual? Not here. Sheltered? No way Jose. Too political? Nah. Judgmental? Least of all.

Who are we, Christians, to be any of these things? It's by grace that we got to come to Christ; who are we to act like we're special because of it?! I say let's open the doors to all those people that no one else accepts. Let's be the refuge for the weak, the poor, the outcast. Let's be the ones that, when all else fails, will love anyone. Will you join me in this passion to love every human on earth?

We often get caught up in correcting their sins, and not loving them. Yes, we need to tell them where they are headed the wrong way, but that should be done out of our love, not out of our superiority. There's a way to help people with their sins and still not be unChristian. It's called love.

I leave you with the last verse of Todd Agnew's song, My Jesus. If this doesn't make you think, nothing will.

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet
But He reaches for the hurting and despises the proud
I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

unChristian, Part Three: Antihomosexual

When I first read the title of this chapter, I was a bit confused. The page clearly stated that being "antihomosexual" was a wrong perception for Christians to give off, much like the "hypocritical" and "conversion-obsessed" labels I discussed last. I really thought I was supposed to be antihomosexual, but I was reading it incorrectly. Yes, the act of homosexuality is a sin, but that doesn't make the person committing the sin any worse than anyone else. Christians are supposed to be antihomosexuality, not antihomosexual. This is a subtle difference in wording that makes a huge difference in reality.

First, allow me to prove that homosexuality is a sin. This is a debated topic, and it really shouldn't be. In Genesis, we see that Sodom was annihilated, partially because most of the men in town were engaged in homosexual acts. Throughout Paul's letters in the New Testament, we see him mention that homosexuality is a sin. It is beyond clear that God intended sex to be between a man and woman.

This, however, does not give those of us that are heterosexual a right to feel "more righteous" or "more like God designed me." Oh, no. You are so wrong.

"Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people--none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God." -1 Corinthians 6:9-10, New Living Translation

BOOM. 1 Corinthians 6 just leveled the playing field. Yes, homosexuality is listed. So is theft. Maybe you haven't ever stolen anything. Ever been greedy? Drunk? Abusive? Ever cheated someone? If you said yes to any one of those things, which I would wager that we all will say yes to at least one, then you are on the same level of sinfulness as a person committing homosexuality. You are no more righteous or God-like than a male prostitute. Is your mind blown? Do you feel less holy? Good. Get off the high horse. All who call themselves Christians, myself included, must get off of our self-constructed pedestal and accept people. It is only through God's grace that we breathe each breath, much less get offered an eternity praising Him.

Am I saying to ignore their sin? No. All sin must be addressed, but you should do so in a Godly, loving manner. Don't be Westboro Baptist Church, yelling and protesting. Jesus didn't host protests; He loved on people that the religious people were "too holy" to love. Samaritans, sexually active women, thieves, traitors, liars; Christ loved them all. He showed them love and respect, and in turn, told them how to correct their lives.

You know the old saying, "Hate the sin, love the sinner?" How often do you practice that? Are you on a pedestal of holiness, or are you loving on the people that need love, regardless of the sins they commit?

Fish are Friends, Not Food

I recently watched the movie The Fisher King. The movie is about a radio talk show host named Jack, played by Jeff Bridges. Jack is a jerk, as he makes fun of people that call in to his show and looks down on people with less money than him. After a series of unfortunate events, Jack finds himself living with his girlfriend, helping her run her dinky movie store and off the radio. Jack eventually ends up meeting a homeless man named Perry (Robin Williams), and finds that he is part of the reason that Perry is homeless.

At first, Jack helps Perry in order to help his guilty feelings. After a few half-hearted attempts, Jack winds up helping Perry for real. He doesn't help Perry to make himself feel better; he helps Perry because he truly cares about Perry. This is precisely how Christians are supposed to help people- because we care about the person we are helping.

Yet, we often come across differently. In the past week or two, I have had two completely unrelated people have messaged me simply with the phrase "fish are friends, not food." This quote from Finding Nemo has been told to me randomly and in jest, yet I cannot help but compare it to reading I have been doing lately.

My latest book is unChristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. It is, unlike some other books that I have read recently, more a research project's results than an in-depth analysis of one topic (such as love in Francis Chan's Crazy Love). Yet, this book has held some amazing insight into the minds of people my age, particularly those outside of the church. The book's focus is on young adults (ages 18-35) feel about Christianity, and what some common, negative, viewpoints are. Trust me: the kids do not feel good about Christianity.

You see, we are seen as the sharks to their fish. We hunt around for non-Christians, helping them only to trap them and lead them into our religion. We have little concern for their problems or viewpoints or political stance; ours is the only one that matters. Instead of being helpful because we care, we are helpful to help ourselves. We forget that sharks are fish, too.

I will be looking into each of the top six negative views of Christianity that a non-Christian feels toward the religion, and discussing how we can help turn this around. I will share my shortcomings, and any stories that I may have to add to the topic. Here's the schedule of when each post will be released by (some my arrive sooner, but never later):

March 04: Hypocritical
March 11: Conversion-Obsessed
March 15: Antihomosexual
March 18: Sheltered
March 25: Too Political
April 01: Judgmental

My hope for covering these topics in-depth, diving into what both the world and the Bible says about Christianity, will open eyes. I hope Christians will read these six posts and think about whether they are being perceived as one of these things, and if there is something in their life that needs to change. I hope someone who isn't connected to the Christian faith reads these posts and finds out that the negative thoughts in their head do not necessarily reflect the truth of God's good news. All in all, I just hope these posts get people thinking and talking about a real Christian faith, not a fake, unChristian one.

Feel free to tell everyone about these, and if you have any comments about the series or anything else you want to discuss with me, my contact info is on the sidebar. :)

Jesus and Your Five Dollar Foot-Long

Well, I was preparing a completely different approach for this blog, and in fact, a completely different topic. However, God decided that He had a different point for me to write on, and struck me with inspiration in one of the more unlikely places.

As I came home from work tonight, I went to the movie store, rented a movie, and then decided to grab a bite to eat. I received a Subway gift card for Christmas, and decided that, since Subway is in the same parking lot as the movie store, it would be an opportune time to use some of that gift card. Unfortunately, I failed to beat a middle-aged couple into the building.

Now, there are two major types of Subway eaters. I have observed this over the years. The first are the ones that get the same sandwich or at least a similar sandwich every time. They know what they like, and they rarely stray from it. The second group are the adventurous, indecisive type. They flit back and forth every time through the door, changing their minds as rapidly as a hummingbird flaps its wings. "There's a new sandwich?! Let's try it!" This middle-aged couple were definitely of the second group. Predictably, I am not.

As I stood in line for what felt like an eternity, I made an observation. As the adventurous sandwich-eaters ahead debated between the multitude of sauces available, I noticed just how many options Subway offers. It's almost as if there are options for every personality and interest. Are you a Spicy Italian or a Sweet Teriyaki? Part of the Green Movement? Try a salad. Believe in "going big or going home?" Have a Philly Cheese Steak. Rebellious? Have a pizza at the sandwich shop! It's almost mind-blowing. So many possibilities, so little stomach room.

This, to me, reflects the American way of life perfectly. There's something out there for everyone. Some kind of group, some kind of hobby, some kind of something to spark your interest. Of course, this attitude spills over into spiritual matters, and that's my focus here today.

Just like the Subway eaters, there are two types of religious people. Option A are the ones who are dead-set in their own religion, believe that it is the only way, and that no one else can be correct. Option B says that everyone has to find the religion or spiritual preference that suits their personality and needs. Option B says that Option A is narrow-minded and has "tunnel vision"; it's "their way or the highway." I'm here to show you that Option B is not a valid position.

Option B is known as universalism, and I believe it has come from two different parts of modern philosophy. The first is tolerance, and the second is individualism. Let's focus a bit more..

Tolerance has become the popular stance in America and no doubt the rest of the world, for some time now. Now, continue reading before sending me an email. I am about to make a clarification. Some tolerance is not only correct, but Biblical. Jesus has called us to love everyone. This means that any prejudices or racism or sexism that has infiltrated your life must be purged; you cannot love another person as you are called if you hold on to a negative prejudice towards a group of people. Tolerance becomes wrong, however, when it allows sin to continue or even be praised. The call for tolerance toward the gay and lesbian communities are the first that come to mind. Homosexuality in clearly against what the Bible teaches, as we can see:

"9 We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching ." -1 Timothy 1:9-10, HCSB

This attitude of tolerance has become the "politically correct" way to be, and is the Western standard now. If you do not accept everyone exactly as they are, you are an ignorant, self-righteous imbecile. Unfortunately, this has bled into the churches, and has weakened the strength of the Gospel. People are so afraid to say that someone may be wrong in their belief, as that "wouldn't be nice." Let me be frank: If someone doesn't believe in Jesus, you are condemning them to Hell by allowing them to believe that their choice of religion "could be right." Staying quiet doesn't seem as nice anymore, does it?

Individualism is another reason for the spread of universalist attitudes. This modern world is very fond of the saying "do what feels right." If you want spicy ranch on your sandwich, sure. If you want pizza at Subway, sure. If Buddhist meditation and karma suits your life better than Christianity, sure. As Burger King says, "have it your way." Many people, such as Oprah, believe that it is OK to have this stance towards religion. They say that it is all the same god, anyways, so who cares? Allah, Jesus, the Hindu gods: all the same deity, just expressed differently. I tell you that this is inaccurate.

The Quran, the holy book of Islam, holds many different views from the Bible. For instance, the Quran states that Jesus was a human prophet, and yet the Bible states that He is the same as the Father, and therefore the Creator of the universe. These two points right here clearly disagree, and are among the multitude of differences between Christianity, Islam, Judaism and others. If they are all disagreeing, how can they be all right? Simple: they cannot.

"6 Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" -John 14:6, HCSB

It can't be put anymore clearly than that. No one comes to God except through Jesus. He said it Himself. If there was ever a verse to dismiss universalist views, this was it. Mohammad? Nope. Buddha? Nope. Abraham? Nope. All of these men were just that: men, and men only. They had no ability to save you from judgment. Notice I said "had": they all died, and never came back. Only one man ever died and came back to life on His own power, and He is the only way to eternal life.

Are you looking for the correct sandwich for eternal life? I tell you that there is only one option, and his name is Jesus Christ, our Messiah and Lord.