"Preacher, what makes the UMC different from other denominations?"

Surprisingly, I got a good number of questions about the United Methodist Church in our survey of the congregation asking for questions for "Preacher, I've got a question."  Here's a few with the best answers I can give:

• What are the Apocrypha books and why are they not included in our Bible at Church of the Way?

When Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation, he translated the Bible into the vernacular for the common people.  Previously, it had only be translated into Latin.  In his translation work, he translated the Old Testament from it's originally language, Hebrew.  The Hebrew manuscripts of the OT do not have the Apocrypha books found in the Greek manuscripts, which was the basis for the Roman Catholic Latin translation.  Luther deemed the Hebrew manuscripts to be more authentic, and the apocrypha books to be later additions in Greek and not part of the original Hebrew Scriptures.  Protestant churches (which include United Methodist) do not use Bible's with the Apocrypha for this reason.  Simply, we don't consider them to be a part of Holy Scriptures; rather, they seem to be later additions.

• What is main difference between Catholicism and Methodist from a theological basis?

This is almost impossible to answer in a short paragraph, but here goes.  I would point to our understanding of the Sacraments:  Baptism and Communion.  United Methodists practice open communion and recognize all forms of baptism across Christian denominations.  So, our communion table is open to all Christians, no matter if they are church members or not.  All who wish to receive the grace of Christ are welcome.  We also do not re-baptize people.  We recognize God's work in baptism in our sister denominations.  Simply, we see ourselves as one part of Christ' Church.  We resonate with Ephesians 4:4-6, "4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope[a] at your calling— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all."  There's one.  We ordain women, which is a major difference, because we believe there is one calling and one spirit for all of us.  We don't practice confession to a priest because there is one Lord that needs to hear our confession.  But, let me say that we share the core beliefs that truly matter with our Roman Catholic brothers and sister as well as those of other denominations.  Jesus is Lord, and He is risen.  That's what matters. 

• Being brought up in a Catholic homestead, yet last 15 years being a Methodist, I thought the way we dressed showed respect to our God. Why does that not appear to be the case in the Methodist religion?

John Wesley, the father of Methodism once said, “It is the glory of the people called Methodists that they condemn none for their opinions or modes of worship.  They think and let think, and insist upon nothing but faith working by love.”  What matters is faith working itself out in love.  What matters is the truth message of the Gospel:  God's grace for all who believe.  Some do that with robes, choirs, suits and dresses.  Some do that with blue jeans, rock bands, and flip flops.  I think God wants our hearts more than anything.

• There are estimates that there's upwards of 41,000 Christian based denominations/sub groups. Though most have the same base ideology there's many differences between even the larger of the denominations. If all these groups are supposed to be based around the same principles of the Bible, why are there so many differences?  Example. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe exactly 144,000 have been preselected to go to heaven.

It's kind of what I said above.  The main thing is the core.  Denominations are like ice cream.  They have the same basic ingredients, but they're different flavors.  At the end of the day, all ice cream is pretty good because it's ice cream, but you've got your favorites and I've got mine.  I'm a caramel swirl fan or butter pecan, but I'm not so much into mint chocolate chip.  Still, in a pinch, I could enjoy mint chocolate chip.  In denominations, the core ingredients are the same, but they offer different flavors.  Now, I'd offer that things like Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormon Church are more like frozen yogurt.  They look and taste an awful lot like ice cream, but the core ingredients are pretty different.

Hope these help and thanks for the great questions!

"Preacher, I've still got some questions about bad things happening."

Today I want to finish up with some answer to specific questions about bad things happening:

• Why does God continue to challenge us in life, when we have had so many difficult challenges and we just would like to come to peace with life?

AND

• Do bad things happen to good people because God or the Devil is teaching you a lesson?

Those questions go hand in hand, and they speak to what is often our perception about events in our lives.  We see God is challenging us or teaching us a lesson.  We see God as kind of a big bully in the sky, and we just want Him to take it easy on us.  But bad things don't happen to us because of God.  God does not will or wish for bad things to happen to us.  God wants good things for us.  Romans 8:28 says that God is working for good in our lives, not bad. 

Bad things happen because we live in a broken world.  We invited disobedience into the world, and now we're upset at its affect.  Of course, we're all to blame.  We are broken people.  The devil is out to get us, to keep us from being all God created us to be.  But God isn't out to get us.  God is out to save us.  Certainly, God tests us, but those tests usually aren't to 'teach us a lesson.'  God's tests are to test our faith so that He can give us more.  God wants good for us, though.  You can bank on that.  One more question in this same line of thought.

• If a person has "faith" in Christ, why do they still suffer from health issues?

Because He never promised it would be easy.  And he never promised prosperity and health.  The Apostle Paul talked about the "thorn in his side" that stayed with him his whole life.  Moses dealt with being 'slow of speech'.  There's simply not a guarantee that when we follow Jesus, everything will be roses.  And there's no guarantee that we'll be healthy and that he'll bring healing to every ailment we have.  I wish there was, but there's simply not.  There is the promise that He will be with us, and the great gift of faith is that when we go through things like health issues that God is with us.  We are not alone.  We can draw on a well of strength and comfort that is limitless...a well that gives patience and understanding, even in the pain of sickness.

God is healing this broken world.  The hope of those who believe is a resurrection world in which there is no sickness, no more disease, no more tears, and no more brokenness.  Come Lord Jesus.

Making it through the fire

"Moses saw that the bush was in flames, but it didn't burn up." Exodus 3:2


I came across this old passage today and thought of the people in Boston and West Texas who have been put through the fire recently, literally and figuratively.  Explosions have claimed the lives of too many, and the emotional fires of loss and grief continue to smolder in the families of those affected.  Even for those of us far away, we mourn in the face of tragedy and wonder what it all means.  We ask, "Where is God in all of this?"

I've read the story about God talking to Moses in the burning bush a million times. I've seen it with Charlton Heston in "The Ten Commandments", and you probably saw it in "The Bible" recently on The History Channel. One of the things I've never thought about though is the powerful symbolism of that bush. God is calling Moses to a difficult task: to free God's people from the heavy oppression of Egyptian slavery and lead them across the desert to the Promised Land. We know from reading the story that it won't be easy. Dealing with Pharaoh won't be easy, getting through the Red Sea won't be easy, wandering through the desert for 40 years won't be easy, and leading this stubborn people won't be easy. The challenges Moses will face will seemingly incinerate him, but he won't burn up. That's one of the messages of the burning bush. When God is present, the fire won't consume you. The pressure and stress won't overwhelm you. It might be painful at times, but it won't burn you. You'll make it through unscathed if you can simply hold on to God in the process, for He is our ever present help in struggle. What a message.

Sometimes we feel like life is eating us alive, burning us up and consuming us. If we will stop to recognized God's presence in our lives, we can understand that, even in life's pressure cooker, we are not consumed. There is a Promised Land waiting on the other side of faith. We are part of a larger story. God is with us, and we will not be burned up. No matter how hot things are for you right now, know that God is with you.

Why does bad stuff happen...period?

This past Sunday I tackled the question "Why does bad stuff happen to good people?" in our "Preacher, I've got a question series.  Little did I know that just a day later we'd be smacked in the face of another piercing example of bad things happening.  Two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon, killing 3 and injuring dozens more.  Many who have survived this tragedy will live without limbs and constant reminders of the ugliness of that day.  It's tragic and breaks my heart.  Having an eight year old myself, I've almost tried not to think about the heartache the family of the little boy that was killed is going through.  The whole thing.  It's just...unthinkable.

I want to say, "I've had enough."  I want to say, "Let's us join together, for we won't stand for this any longer."  I want to say something inspirational like that, but it rings hollow.  We need to stop sinning.  That's really the only answer.  Bad things happen because of sin.  As long as there's sin, there will be bad things.  Sometimes that sin gives birth to intentional 'badness' in the form of a bomb at a race.  Sometimes in a comment that wasn't intentional, but the hurt and pain caused by it are just a painful.  Sometimes our own sin causes us to suffer bad consequences.  Often, we experience bad in the world because we live in a world broken by sin.  This isn't how things were supposed to be.  God didn't create things to be this way.  Read Genesis 1 and 2.  God had better plans.  Sin changed everything.  God created a world where bad things didn't happen.  Sin created a reality where bad things have become the norm.

But there is hope.  Policies and procedures are band-aids to the world's problems, not that they're not needed sometimes.  I believe that the hope of the world is Jesus Christ.  Jesus brought the Kingdom BACK to earth.  Jesus came to restore that which sin had destroyed.  Jesus defeated sin and death.  Jesus resurrected good from the death found in bad.  Jesus is one day going to restore good back to the way it was meant to be.  That's what Christians believe when they say that the Kingdom is coming.  We believe that Jesus is going to fix all this mess.

But, do you remember how Jesus taught us to pray?  "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven."  We don't have to just sit around and wait for the sweet by an by.  We can deliver the Kingdom in the here and now.  I believe that the Body of Christ (the Church) is the hope for a broken world that slants toward bad.  When we love like God loves, when we see others the way God sees them, when we sacrifice like Jesus, when we comfort like God's Spirit, when we exhibit compassion, generosity, selflessness, and kindness we start to bring the Kingdom to earth NOW.  That's the answer to this mess, and it's the only hope in the face of tragedy.  The world desperately needs the Church to BE the Church.  So, what can you do in response to tragedy in Boston?  Love your neighbor as yourself, forgive others, encourage people, and practice hospitality.  We won't change this with one action.  We'll change this with one action at a time.  One action in which we deny sin and selfishness and choose obedience and selflessness.  When the world sees the love of Christ personified the way it is supposed to be, it's hard not to embrace it.  And when that happens...thy Kingdom come.

"Preacher, how do I know God is talking to me?"

Yesterday, we tackled some tough questions about hearing God's voice, and I wanted to answer some of those specific questions:

1. There are times when I pray about something. How do I know this is God's answer and not the devil making me think this is God's answer?  We have an incredible ability to convince ourselves into believing what we think we want.  If you've ever been house or car shopping, you know how you start to see 'signs' that you're supposed to buy a particular car or house.  That's just the way our brains work.  I think the story of God talking to Samuel as a young boy points to three important things that can help us discern God's voice:  Come to God's place (get in a church, a LIFE Group, or a volunteer team -- be where God is talking), Consult God's leaders (find spiritual mentors who will speak truth into us), Compare it to God's Word (God's not going to tell us to do something contrary to the Bible.  Do those things and pray some more, and I believe we'll begin to get clarity.
2. People say they know when God is talking to them…I want to know what I can do to feel God talking to me. I feel that he is doing great things in my life, but I can’t feel him talk to me.  Get close and get quiet.  I find that the times I hear God speaking the least, it's usually me who has moved.  Get closer to God.  Get plugged into worship and dig deep in Bible Study (which is how God often speaks to us).  Secondly, often, we're just not quiet enough to hear.  We spend all of our time in prayer in a one way conversation where we do all the talking.  Communication with God is a two-way street.  Take time to be still...and listen.
3. How do you know how long to feel God's nudge or when God is waiting on you to make the first step?  (I guess I struggle at times with 'is this God's will or mine perceived as His?)  We all struggle with this.  The good news is that everyday we get the opportunity choose God.  One wrong step won't define our lives.  Some people view God has a big room with a bunch of closed doors and we're waiting on Him to open the right one for us to walk through.  I see God as a big room with a bunch of open doors and we walk where we feel led and he'll shut it if He wants to, so we go on to the next.  There isn't one way this can work out, there are many.  He's weaving a story in history, and the closer we get to him, the better we get at walking in the right doors and being a part of His story.  You see, that's it.  I can tell you what God's will is for your life:  to get involved in His story.

"Preacher, do good people go to heaven?"

It is the age old question:  do good people go to heaven?  Wouldn't God want heaven to be full of good people?  Lots of people asked various forms of that question for our "Preacher, I've got a question" series:

• What happens to "good" people that are not Christians when they die?
• Is the only way to heaven is through Jesus and Christianity?  If so, why?  Hard for me to imagine that people of different faiths who are as caring, compassionate and generous don’t get to heaven.
• If Christ is the only way to eternal life…what about Buddhist, Hindus, etc?
• Don't all religious folks (Muslims, Jews, Christians) serve the same God?

We want to believe that good people go to heaven because we're convinced that God grades on a curve.  You probably had high school teachers or college professors that graded on a curve.  You know what that meant?  You were graded against the class, not against the test.  Your score was compared to the rest of the class, not against how you did on the actual test.  You didn't have to make a 90 to get an A, you just had to score better than 90% of the class.  Most people think God grades this way.  Almost all of us see ourselves as good people.  Sure, we've made some mistakes, but most of us think we're okay.

We imagine ourselves standing in line before God's judgment between terrorists and that guy at work that's a complete jerk.  But what if you're standing in line between Mother Teresa and Billy Graham?  How good are you going to look then?  You see, who gets to decide what good is?  Different religions have different definitions of good.  Radical Muslims thought is was 'good' to fly planes into the World Trade Center.  Some Christians, at places like the infamous Westboro Baptist, thought it was 'good' to come protest at the Final Four in Atlanta with messages of hate and judgment.  So, what, exactly, is good?  How can we all be serving the same God if we have different definitions of 'good?'

The Bible lives up a different definition of 'good.'  The prophet Isaiah said, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).  The Hebrew definition for filthy rags in that passage is the rags a woman would use during her menstruation.  Yes, that's what our righteous acts are like before a Holy God.  Imagine what our sinful acts are like?  The Bible lifts up a different standard.  It says God doesn't grade on a curve.  It says you have make 100% on the test.  You have to be perfect or you fall short.  Of course, we ALL fall short.  For "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).  Enter Jesus.

This is what separates Christianity -- Jesus.  The Bible does NOT teach that good people go to heaven.  The message of Jesus is that forgiven people go to heaven.  God doesn't give us eternal life because of our good deeds (they simply don't measure up).  God gives us eternal life because of what Christ has done on the cross.  Jesus death and resurrection defeated the power of sin in our lives forever and made us right before God.  God calls us to simply believe, trust and have faith in this amazing thing called grace.  Grace is difference.  Grace makes us 'good' before God because of Jesus' sacrifice.  And we live to honor the One who forgave us, which is drastically different from living to try to win God's love.  The gift of Jesus has already proven God's love for us once and for all.  So what are you gonna do with that gift?

"Preacher, I've got a few more questions about heaven."

Alright, this will finish up our 'heaven' questions.  Lots of thought provoking stuff.

• Considering how violent people are in the name of religions, how will we know heaven will be peaceful?

Violence is the result of an inner pain.  Simply, hurting people hurt people.  People that are whole don't hurt others. We hurt others when we feel slighted, less loved and incomplete.  The violence that happens in the name of religion is wrong and not of God.  God is a God of peace, and heaven means living fully in God's presence.  Violence is a result of sin.  There's no sin in heaven.

• Do those in heaven have awareness of what is happening with humanity?

Man, that's a great question.  The best answer I can give is, "I don't know."  I don't think so.  It's hard to imagine that we could know about the pain and hurt while we're in heaven and it feel much like heaven.  But I know that this heaven is different than the new heaven and earth in the resurrection.  I want to say, "No."  However, Revelation talks about the prayers of the saints and Hebrews says that we are "surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses" after referring to those that have gone before us.  So, I don't know.  I know heaven is bigger and something I can't quite imagine.

• When people die, do they go to heaven then or are they risen at the second coming?

Yes.  Jesus seems to say that we (our spirits) do go to heaven when we die.  He told the thief on the cross, "Today, you will be with me in paradise."  Today.  Not a long time from now.  However, the Bible says that those in Christ will rise in the resurrection.  Our bodies...literally...resurrected.  The sea will give up its dead and we will will rise.  Then, we will be given new resurrection bodies.  Do I understand it all?  No, that's just what the book says, and it is the hope of those in Christ.  We say it in the Apostle's Creed:  I believe in the resurrection of the dead.  That's what I believe.

"Preacher, will I know my family in heaven?"

I got a couple of really good questions about loved ones in heaven:

• Since your soul goes to heaven, how will a loved one know who you are if you haven't seen someone so long ago?
• Will we know our loved ones in heaven.  If not, why would God create us to love so deeply and then take those relationships away?

Those are great questions.  I know that my grandparents are in heaven.  I've always looked forward to seeing them.  This question was actually posed to Jesus.  Some religious leaders asked Jesus who a woman who was widowed and remarried several times would be married to in heaven?  Jesus replied in Matthew 22:29-30, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.  At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven."

That's not exactly what anyone wants to hear. But we have to dig deep to understand it.  We view that statement from Jesus as saying that those relationships will be taken away from us, and that's simply not true.  The Apostle John, through the vision given him by God, describes heaven as having streets of gold and a crystal sea.  Do you really think the streets are gold?  Maybe they are.  I think what John was trying to say is that the things we value on earth are so abundant in heaven that they are seemingly insignificant in heaven.  The things we value here are like dirt along the road and salt water.  They're nothing in heaven.  So, think about that in regard to relationships. 

The relationships we value here are so abundant in heaven that they're seemingly insignificant.  The love we will experience for all in heaven makes our earthly relationships seem...plain.  The love we share her on earth has conditions and is limited by our humanness.  Not in heaven.  We we are 'like' the angels in heaven.  We are spirit.  We have no limits.  Love has no limits.

Two things can help us understand this.  All of us had a middle or high school love that we thought was "The one."  We convinced ourselves that it was right.  We broke up and thought we'd never find love again.  Then, we met someone else, and that former love all of a sudden seemed immature and lacking.  What we once thought was so valuable now seemed childish and limited.  The love we share with our spouse is richer, fuller, and complete.  You see, we all think we're done growing up.  Jesus is saying that we've got some more maturing to do when it comes to love and relationships.  We will experience love more deeply than we can imagine for all people in heaven.  It's not that you won't love or know your grandfather.  It's that you'll love and know EVERYONE infinitely more than you loved and knew your grandfather.  Those relationships that are nearest to us now are little glimpses of heaven on earth.

The other part of this that helps us understand is children.  After you have your first child, you think you could never love another as much as you love that first baby.  Then, something happens.  You either have a second child or that child grows up and gives you a grandchild.  And when your second child is born or your first grandchild, a new area of your heart opens up that you didn't know you had.  Turns out you are capable of more love than you had originally thought.  You thought love was limited.  It's not.  We choose to make it limited to our family and closest friends.  In heaven, there are no limits -- only love.  You and I can't imagine loving other children as our own because we have limits.  We don't have time, we can't afford it or they're just not like us.  You don't see those limits in heaven.  We are spirit.  We are limitless.  And the things we value here are so abundant in heaven, they're seemingly insignificant.  So, ask yourself this question:  if your most valued relationships in heaven are like dirt and salt water, what kind of place must that be?  That's something to think about, isn't it?  Don't you want everyone to know how to get there!

"Preacher, I've got a lot of questions about heaven."

Yesterday we talked about "What's heaven like?" in worship.  I wanted to take a moment to answer a few of the specific questions about death and heaven.

• When a baby dies, does it stay a baby in heaven or grow up? 
• I thought this was a great question.  Jesus says that we are "like angels" in heaven.  That doesn't mean we become angels, but we are like them.  We are spirit in heaven.  When God thought us up, he didn't have a baby in mind -- he had a spirit in mind.  In heaven, we are the spirit God intended us to be, without age.  We are our purest self.  You see this is babies.  They have a personality that the immature shell of their body is holding back, but it comes out.  You see it in older adults, whose body is failing, but spirit and personality is strong.  There are no physical limitations in heaven.  We are just who we really are in spirit.
• What does the Bible say about burial vs. cremation? 
• I don't think God cares.  It doesn't really say one way or the other.  Revelation talks about the sea giving up it's dead in the resurrection.  So think about that.  There are millions who have died at sea.  Their bodies are probably destroyed.  There are people that have died by being eaten by wild animals or sharks, people that have be incinerated in explosions, and people that have been vaporized by war.  God is able to overcome all that.  Even those that were buried years ago are simply dust now.  In the resurrection, we will have new bodies, not just a renovated version of your old one.  Burial vs. cremation is simply a matter of personal choice, but the power of the resurrection is stronger than any form of death.
• When we die do we go straight to heaven or are we in limbo until Jesus returns to earth?
• I'm going with what Jesus said.  In Luke 23:43, Jesus tells the thief dying alongside him on the cross, "Today, you will be with me in paradise."  Today.  In paradise.  Not tomorrow.  And not today in limbo.  So, I think that means we go straight to heaven.  Now, the interesting thing about all that is that heaven won't last forever.  Revelation says that in the resurrection there will be a new heaven and a new earth and the former heaven and earth will pass away.  So, we go straight to heaven, but we're not staying there forever.  One day, those that follow Christ will be in heaven. 2.0.

Thanks for the questions.  I'll be answering some more about heaven this week along with the question, "How do we know Jesus is the only way to heaven?"

"Preacher, is it wrong to predict weather?"

On this beautiful Saturday, when I was glad the weatherman was right about the sunshine, I thought it would be fitting to answer an interesting question I got:  Preacher, is it wrong to predict the weather because it's predicting God?

Is there a theological answer to this?  Well, the first thing I'd say is that those that predict weather, usually meteorologist, don't always do such a good job at it.  However, it's not really predicting God.  It's science.  Science is a good thing.  Meteorologists don't get a crystal ball and do some kind of chant to guess answers, they use time tested methods and the latest technology to predict weather patterns.  This is a good thing, as it helps people prepare for inclement weather. Who knows how many lives have been saved by the warnings of the science used in predicting weather.

The fact that we even have bad weather is theological, though.  Eden was paradise.  No sin, no ugliness, no death and no bad weather.  Sin knocked the universe off its axis.  Sin opened the door for brokenness in relationships, in our connection to God, and in our connection to the atmosphere and world.  Meteorologists are just tracking the brokenness of our universe.  I certainly appreciate their work.

"Preacher, how did people know Jesus rose from the dead?"

I'm going to try to answer a question each day on the blog.  I might hit two a day sometimes.  We received 54 questions, so that should keep us busy for a while.  I thought it appropriate to answer this one in this post-Easter week:

How did people know Jesus rose from the dead?

The short answer is:  they saw Him.  Before ascending into heaven, Jesus walked the area for 40 days.  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:6, "and then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at once -- most of them are still alive to this day, though some have died."  This was after he appeared to the women disciples and the twelve disciples.  Jesus came to see them.  They talked to Him and placed their fingers in his nail scared hand.

Much of my message on Easter was about this understanding.  Many of those that saw recorded it.  Some wrote accounts of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus (Gospels).  Some wrote letters to churches or communities of faith (letters/epistles).  In fact, of eight of the New Testament writers, only Luke stated that he was not an eye-witness to the resurrection.  He wrote of the life of Jesus through the accounts of those eye-witnesses that he was very close to, and he was intimately involved in the early Church movement right after the resurrection of Jesus.

So, we have their accounts.  They saw him.  Their claims to have seen Jesus resurrected caused them to be killed by political and religious authorities.  It was blasphemy.  All but John were killed for their faith.  They tried to kill John, but he survived their efforts.  Not one 'squealed.'  Not one said it was a hoax.  Of course, the 12 disciples weren't the only ones that were killed.  Hundreds of Christians were killed under the Roman Emperors, and they all went to their death holding on to their claim that Jesus was alive. 

It's a step of faith for us to believe what people wrote 2,000 years ago.  However, it's also a step of faith to say that those people died for their beliefs in order to pull off a hoax.  That seems unlikely to me.  I believe they died for their beliefs because they had seen something never recorded in history, something that changed eternity.  I believe because I've felt the power and presence of the risen Lord in my own life. 

Preacher, I've got a question kickoff

Biblical marriage.  I’ve heard that a lot lately, and its an issue that raises a lot of questions. This Sunday, I’m starting a series called “Preacher, I’ve got a question” at Church of the Way.  People have submitted REALLY TOUGH questions over the last month, and I’ll be using the most asked questions as the groundwork for a 3-week series on Sundays. I hope you’ll come check it out April 7-21 at Archer High School at 10 a.m. & 6 p.m. However, I’m using my blog to answer every question that was submitted, and I might even do a couple a day. However, I want to start off by being a bit selfish and answering the question I’ve been asking myself the last few weeks: “What do you think about this whole gay marriage deal?” So, to kick off a month’s worth of blogs about tough questions, I’m asking myself one. And I promise they won’t all be this long!


There seem to be categories of thoughts here:

Biblical Marriage: I keep seeing Christian friends post on Facebook that they believe in Biblical Marriage, and I keep hearing that term in political rhetoric. I’m not sure they know what that means. Some of the writers in the Bible (here’s looking at you, Solomon) had hundreds of wives. Some married slaves and servants. You had to marry your dead brother’s widow. Most in the Old Testament paid a dowry for their bride. It was not what many or any of us practice now or understand to be faithful marriage. No, I believe in New Testament marriage. Between Paul and Jesus, a very different picture is painted of marriage in the new covenant - picture that includes fidelity between one man and one woman. There is a picture of equality in marriage in the New Testament. Husbands and wives are to submit to one another out of love. It’s clear that Jesus, and later Paul, established a new model of Godly marriage that differed from the traditions even practiced in the Old Testament.

Re-writing Scripture: My biggest concern over this issue has less to do with our government, which I’ll get to, and more to do with the church. Simply, there are some Christians who simply don’t believe homosexuality is wrong anymore. They see this issue as a civil rights issue that we’ve progressed past, much like the issues of women’s rights and racial equality. I just finished Dr. King’s book Stride Toward Freedom about the Montgomery story. I have a hard time believing Dr. King would have seen homosexuality the same way proponents are seeing it today. The Church needs to confess and own the fact that we blatantly ignored Scripture as it relates to women and minorities in decades and centuries past. We didn’t have to reinterpret Scripture to for the civil rights issues concerning women and African Americans. The Bible has always had examples of women in leadership, Genesis has always said that we were created male and female in God’s image, and Paul has always said that in Christ there is neither male nor female, Greek nor Jew. Though the issue of slavery has been a tragic reality in cultures throughout the centuries, the Bible moves toward a message of freedom and the release of slaves, a radical statement 2,000 years ago. But the message of progressives today is saying, “We’re not really sure these Scriptures say what we’ve always thought they said.” Or, “We’ve moved past that.” Isn’t that tricky? Do we get to say that the Bible wasn’t talking about little white lies or that Jesus wasn’t talking about lusting after ‘pictures’ of women on a screen or that gossip is okay as long as it’s about someone really mean? Where do we draw the line of re-interpreting Scripture? When do we get to do away with all sin? When it becomes too inconvenient? I heard one pastor say, “Am I so sure that those 5-8 passages mean what we’ve always thought they mean that I’m going to tell homosexuals that they can’t enjoy a faithful relationship?” My response is, “Are you so sure they don’t that that you’re willing to risk eternity on it?” Because, the million dollar question is: What are the implications of being unrepentant over and even boastful in our sin? Two things stick out in Scripture to me. 1) Jesus had no problem bucking the system and calling out the religious order when it was wrong. When it came to marriage, Jesus lifted up a husband and wife and never mentioned homosexuality. He didn’t mind bucking the systems of Sabbath, sacrifice, forgiveness, family, poverty, race, age, finances, and eating codes…but he dared not buck that one. 2) Paul is crystal clear on the issue. Are you telling me that Paul, a Roman Citizen, had no knowledge of committed homosexual relationships and his writing was only about orgies and sex slavery and not what we see today? We don’t give Roman civilization enough credit when we do that. Homosexuality was prevalent. Paul deemed it a sin. I can’t get away from that.

Love: We need to love people. The Church is called to call the culture to repentance, but we love people in the midst of it. The truth is there’s a lot of things destroying the institution of marriage in our world: cohabitation, divorce, adultery, premarital sex, pornography, and homosexuality. We need to offer grace and God’s alternative. No one is judged into the Kingdom. We need to point people to Jesus and God’s Word. For God is the Righteous Judge that convicts our spirits when we are faced with truth. The Church needs to be a place where broken and sinful people can come and hear a message of forgiveness and new life in Christ. People need hope, and we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves. But that’s tricky. If I’m doing something that is blatantly against God’s will, I hope those who love me most will sit me down and point out a better way. We can’t water down forgiveness and not ask for repentance. That’s not loving and does no one any good.

Pandora’s Box: My concern on this issue as a country is what it means potentially for America. Are we ready to say that our government should not make any moral judgment on whom I should marry? That’s essentially the message, right? If the government can’t tell me who I can marry, then why should they be able to tell me how many I can marry? Why can’t I marry my cousin, then? Why do I have to marry a human? Who is the government to tell me how old I have to be to get married? I’m not sure what it will mean if we say that we’re not going to have our government offer any moral voice. We do have a moral code in America. We believe it’s wrong to murder, cheat, steal, and lie in many places. We got that moral code from somewhere. I fear that we could be opening Pandora’s Box here.  I'm not sure I want our government telling us who we can marry, yet I'm fearful of what that will mean as we continue to 'progress' as a country.

Allowing vs. Celebrating: Having voiced my fears, if you forced my hand, I’d probably say that it seems America should allow gay marriage because we have chosen to value and fight for freedom in this country. I believe this is the chief thing God has blessed in the United States – freedom. Freedom was God’s gift to humanity, and it has been our Founding Fathers gift to America. We believe in freedom to act and do as you please, as long as you don't harm others.  God gave us freedom to sin if we wanted to. We would not be arrested for sinning against God, but we’d face consequences. That’s where I come down on this. I think you should be allowed to burn the American Flag, but I don’t think you should. I think you should be allowed to have an affair, but I don’t think you should. I think you should be allowed to hate people, but I don’t think you should. I think you should be allowed to look at pornography, but I don’t think you should. I think you should be allowed to ignore the poor, but I don’t think you should. I think God’s vision would be that people don’t exercise the freedom’s they have because they choose a better path. No one burns flags because we respect authority (and the people who died for that freedom under that flag), no one has affairs, nobody hates another, the porn industry files for bankruptcy, and the poverty is eliminated not by government forced distribution of wealthy but through the generosity of those that have been blessed materially. And people can enter into gay marriage, but there no one does it because people found a better way. What bothers me is that so many in the Church are celebrating this. There’s a difference between allowing and celebrating. I think you should be able to burn the flag, but I don’t celebrate it. I think you should be allowed to cheat on your spouse, but I don’t celebrate it. I think God frowns up sin that is celebrated. That’s why, for me, this is a non-issue for how I do ministry. I proudly serve in a tradition that reaches out to homosexuals in love with grace but does not celebrate the sin. And my prayer is that we stay the course, for just because there is freedom doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences to our actions. Just because we’re allowed to do something doesn’t mean we should. Though the laws of this country may one day allow gay marriage, and maybe they should, homosexual relationships break the first and oldest command God gave us way back in Gen. 1:28, “Be fruitful and multiply.” It seems pretty clear that God’s plan from the get-go was for the women and men to be in relationship, and there might be consequences when we brazenly celebrate an alternative to God’s original plan.