Pop Culture

Unserious

~ brandon ~ 1 Comment

In case you missed it, a bra-color for cancer awareness thing swept through Facebook last week. Women were posting the color of the bra they were wearing in the name of breast cancer awareness. This morning, a former coworker posted that he was glad it was over because it was inappropriate.

I don’t think it was really inappropriate, but I also don’t think it really did anything to raise awareness of breast cancer. Kind of like this doesn’t really do anything for free speech.

We are a unserious society.

Naming Sin

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But We’re Still Gonna Kill You by Mark Steyn on National Review Online.

Whatever you think of his politics, Steyn’s argument seems to be:  if we cannot name our enemy, then we cannot win.  I think that’s a sound point we can apply to the Christian’s struggle against sin.

We live in an age where sin is an antiquated concept.  We rationalize and justify behaviors that our grandparents would be ashamed of.  We’re more worldly, better educated and able to see how those moral codes of old were arbitrary, and intended to discriminate and oppress.  Therefore, we are free to live as we see fit and no, we don’t really care what you think.

Import that thinking to the Church.  In the Church we still believe in right and wrong, good and evil and things such as sin.  We still believe in God’s judgment and a place called Hell.  Yet, we often fail to name our sin.  We, too, fall victim to the rationalizations of our culture.

Young adult partying all the time?  Well, that’s just how everyone is at their age.  Thirty-something parents foisting their kids off on day-care and schools and after school programs from pre-school on?  Hey, it’s tough to make ends meet today.

A first step toward victory over sin is naming it.  It’s asking God what He calls sin, and applying that standard to my own life.  It’s seeing where my life fails to match up to Christ’s teaching and realizing:  Jesus was nailed to a cross for this.

Bad Economic News

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WORLD Magazine | Todays News, Christian Views.

You probably have heard the discouraging December jobs report:  85,000 jobs lost and 661,000 not even looking for jobs.  The ongoing economic malaise is of concern to me for a few reasons.

Of course there is giving.  Ministry relies upon donors, we don’t sell a product or a service.  With fewer folks working, that means less to donate–which impacts what a ministry can or can’t do.  So, we must be wise and faithful.  Wisdom dictates we focus our limited resources on our core mission–making disciples.  Extras can, and should be shed.  Faith dictates that we trust God to provide for that core mission.  In other words, we don’t stop teaching Sunday School because we’re afraid we can’t heat the building.  We teach and trust God to provide.

The declining economy, while stealing donations from non-profits, also means more people in real need.  Our food pantry and benevolence fund has seen much more use over the past year than in the 6 that preceded it.  Already we’ve spent our budgeted benevolence, and will begin taking benevolence offerings to continue meeting needs.  It’s kind of a catch-22, more people need help but there is less to help them with.  Again, loving people is core mission stuff–so we continue to do so, trusting God to provide.

Additionally, there is the spiritual concern for the flock.  Some don’t know how to handle money problems in a Christian manner.  Some will ask, ‘Why me?’ Others might decide to blame God.  One of a Pastor’s great challenges is to help folks see these times are a purifying opportunity.  As businesses and ministries must shed extras and refocus on core mission–so, too, must Christians.  What an opportunity to realize how much time and money we invest in that which is ultimately fleeting.  What a chance to refocus my whole life upon that which is eternal.

Overall my hope is to set an example of wise faith:  not wasting resources, but also not doubting God’s continued provision.

In the mean time, I’d love for our government to do one thing:  make the US the most attractive place to do business.  Doing so, I believe, will do more to invigorate the economy than any number of stimuli or bailouts.

Tax Dollars at Work

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“Our goal is to promote health and save lives with this information,” said Daliah Heller, assistant commissioner for the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care and Treatment.Asked why the handout tells people how to shoot up, Heller said, “From a health perspective, there is a less harmful way to inject yourself.”

via Heroin for dummies – NYPOST.com.

Drug addicts need help.  I’m not convinced teaching them how to shoot up is the help they need.  I mean, do we produce brochures on safer bank robbing, car jacking or kidnapping?  Of course not.  Yet, for some reason we’ve convinced ourselves that handing out needles and teaching folks how to shoot up is helping them.

Maybe we should be finding better methods of getting folks off of drugs, and perhaps instilling Judeo-Christian values in children from cradle on might help prevent some from even getting started.

Jesus was a socialist?

~ brandon ~ 2 Comments

Regardless of your politics, Cal Thomas does a good job of addressing the Christianity = Socialism canard.

Did early Christians live communally?  Yes, but this was not to show the right form of government.  Instead, it is because they really believed they were a family.  They took the whole, “brother and sister” thing quite literally.  As in any family, ownership is shared.  When a brother is starving, we give him our bread.  When a sister needs shelter, we give her our bed.  It doesn’t require some hierarchy telling us, “Thou must.”  It is the natural result of being a family.

WORLD Magazine | Jesus the socialist | Cal Thomas | Dec 24, 09.

Top Five News Stories: The Theology of Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Speech | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

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Some great stories and food for thought.  Especially on the syncretism of American Christianity.  Why are we so syncretistic?  I believe its a failure to teach doctrine.  What say you?

Top Five News Stories: The Theology of Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize Speech | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction.

Each did what was right in his own eyes . . .

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A surprising new study reveals that casual sex may not cause emotional or psychological damage.

via Casual sex, hookups aren’t emotionally damaging, study finds.

While the headline says, “aren’t emotionally damaging,” the study actually says, “may not cause emotional damage.”  That, coupled with the fact this is a small study of a group in one state makes me wonder why the definite headline?  Also further on we read,

However, researchers said that this doesn’t mean casual sex is for everyone – and Eisenberg is quick to warn of the physical consequences of casual sex. Rates of sexually transmitted diseases continue to increase and teen pregnancy rates in Minnesota in particular are also on the rise, according to the Star Tribune.

So, there is damage–just not emotional.  And that, I guess, makes it okay.  Or maybe, it just illustrates our willingness to excuse and justify sinful behavior.

Christmas Island

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As I listen to this classic American Christmas song, I wondered if that’s just not about the best way to celebrate the birth of Christ.

In Matthew 11:28, 29, Jesus offers peace and rest to those who will follow Him.  Yet, when it comes to celebrating His birth, peace and rest are two qualities often missing from the celebration.  Between decorating, cooking, baking, parties, shopping, wrapping, worshipping and all the other Christmas Season must-do events, we often become haggard, tired and frustrated.  Some of us even breath a sigh of relief when Christmas is over, because the most-stressful time of the year is gone.

But, should it be this way?  Would Christ want us greeting His arrival with stress and busyness or with quiet contemplation or with restful peace?  I  believe that allowing Christmas to become stressful completely misses the point of who Christ is, and what He wants for us.

So let me invite you to evaluate the next two weeks and deep six anything that’s going to keep you from experiencing Christ’s rest this Christmas.

Your Sin Will Find You Out

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Tiger Woods TV Ads Disappear After Reports of Affairs Update2 – Bloomberg.com.

I’m a bit late to the ball on this one, but Tiger’s travails provide an excellent illustration of a key Christian concept. Your sin will find you out (Numbers 32.23).

Tiger lacks integrity.  He presented one public persona while he was really a different person.  In his apology he even stated,

he let his family down with “transgressions” and hasn’t been true to his “family values.”

Now he is paying the consequences of his actions.  Lost contracts, ruined reputation, etc.  This should be a warning to those who believe they can hide their sin.  Sure, we can hide it for a time, but eventually our sins are known.  Perhaps we’d do well to consider the consequences of our secret sins, if they were to become public.  Then, maybe, we’d find repentance and grace to heal us.