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

The Largest Genocide in World History...And You Are Doing Nothing About It

This coming Sunday is known as "The Sanctity of Human Life Sunday" in churches across the United States. This year marks 40 years since Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court case that gave women "the right" to have an abortion. Since then, 55,871,353 fetuses have been aborted.

Or, if this will make it more real to you, 55,871,353 children have been aborted. 55,871,353 future living, breathing people have been exterminated, and the number is climbing day-by-day.

Let these numbers soak in:

Amount killed in genocides

Nazi Holocaust: 6 million Jews, 11 million total
Killing Fields of Cambodia: between 1 and 3 million, believed to be closest to 2.2 million
Rwandan genocide (1994): at least 800,000, as many as 1 million
Darfur genocide: 178,258–461,520
Trail of Tears/American genocide of Native Americans: approx. 4,000

Perhaps using genocides (mass killings of a people) doesn't allow the magnitude of this to register. Let me show you some other numbers.

Amount killed in wars

World War II: 50-73 million
World War I: 15-60 million (high estimate includes deaths due to Spanish Flu, which killed between 20-50 million people; thus, World War I alone probably killed much closer to the lower end)
Vietnam War: 1-3 million
American Civil War: 400,000-800,000 thousand

According to these numbers, only World War II (the deadliest war in history) and the combination of World War I/Spanish Flu can top the deaths in the United States due to abortions since 1973. No genocide, not even that of Nazi design, comes close. Bear in mind, WWII and WWI were worldwide wars, and I only include numbers for abortions in the United States since Roe v Wade. I have no idea how much higher the total number of abortions worldwide (even since 1973, not even before) could possibly be.

And yet, this mass killing of humans is happening in the United States under the guise of women's rights. Just as Hitler believed that it was his right to rid the world of the unwanted Jews and homosexuals (among others), millions of Americans believe that it is a woman's right to rid the world of her unwanted child.

You can try to spin this however you want. Go ahead, tell me how a fetus isn't a human being. Go ahead, tell me I don't understand. Go ahead, tell me that no one should tell a woman what to do with her body. You will not convince me, and I will only be more convinced of the depravity and evil in this world.

You cannot tell me that I do not understand. My brother was supposed to die at birth, or even before, due to a defect in his placenta. Even if he survived, he would have severe problems for life. The doctors advised that my parents abort him; they didn't. He is now my best friend and is perfectly normal. He attends college and plans to be a police officer. Yet, medical officials believed the best option was to abort this person.

You cannot tell me that a woman has the right to do with her body, and that no one else can say anything. Tell that to the person on the other end of a suicide hotline, talking a woman down from taking those pills. Tell that to the counselor, who desperately wants the teen to quit cutting herself. People only get mad about telling a woman (or man, honestly) what to do with her body when it is inconvenient. People are only upset when the part of a woman's body that is being damaged can be killed and thrown away, having never been heard or seen outside of a protruding belly.

You cannot tell me that a fetus is not a baby. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, knit together in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13-14). The Spirit filled John the Baptist within Elizabeth's womb in Luke 1; as my friend Austin Little pointed out, God fills people with his Spirit. Why fill nothing more than a pre-human, non-spiritual creature/piece of flesh/thing with His glorious Self? It would be ridiculous and clearly points to God's belief that a fetus is a human being.

This has gone on long enough, and will continue as long as Christians sit quietly. We are watching one of the biggest, if not the biggest, killing of human beings unfold right before our eyes. The American genocide of unborn children has been happening for 40 years; will we allow it to continue for another 40?

*Only select genocides and wars were included; I used the largest I could find, as well as some well-known others. I, to the best of my knowledge, have included the highest killing genocide and war. Comment if you know of a worse example, and I'll be glad to add it.
-Stats taken from http://www.numberofabortions.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_and_anthropogenic_disasters_by_death_toll. Feel free to stat-check me. I doubt that you'll find numbers large enough to dwarf the American genocide of the unborn to an insignificant number, but you're welcome to try-

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

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.