A Confession of A Modern Evangelical Part 2

December 12, 2008 in Culture, The Church, Worth Thinking About | 2 comments

This is a continuation from an earlier blog post “A Confession of a Modern Evangelical Part 1″ in response to the following question a friend asked me after he found out I voted for Obama. Props to my friend for getting me to think about this more critically. You gotta love friends like that.
“How can a God follower and believer of Jesus Christ support abortion and gay marriage without going against the morality that the bible teaches”?
 
Gay Marriage:
I have tremendous respect for people who do not hide what they believe. Being open and honest with others in a spirit of unity even while disagreeing is pretty inspiring.  So in that sprit, I believe that marriage is a sacred union established by the creator of the universe between one man and one woman.
 
Here was my thought process while thinking about this issue with regards to voting for Obama:
1. I love the separation of church and state. Our forefathers, most of whom were not evangelical christians, knew what they were doing long ago when they recognized the importance of this. Put simply, I do not want the government dictating my personal belief system.  Now, it just so happens that I would not disagree on this particular measure, but that could change some day. I LOVE the freedom to believe how I please and the freedom to express that belief openly. 
 
2. I just don’t feel that the best way to love people like Jesus did is to dictate how they should live through the passage of laws. If we really want to make a difference in this world lets focus more on loving people, living life with others, and in the midst of life on life interaction we will grow, learn and change.  There are so many AMZING people who evangelicals just write off for no real good reason. In addition, Jesus called the church to be a light in the darkness, not the government.  To pass this privilege on to the government is just lazy and doesn’t take seriously what Jesus has called his followers to. 
3. Obama has said that he believes that marriage is the union between one man and one woman.  He believes this particular issues is one that should be decided at a state level. He has also said that he supports the civil union of same sex couples. I am cool with this for two reasons.  First, this is outside the realm of the church. (Remember I like the separation of church and state. See above for why) Second, I want my friends who are gay couples to be able to visit one another in the hospital. I want them to be able to pay for medical expenses and care for one another in the same way married couples can. This is the just thing to do. Just because they are gay, does not mean they do not deserve these rights. God loves them as much as anyone else.
 
Bottom line, if evangelicals were to spend as much time really truly loving people into following Jesus as we do trying to pass all these measures, I believe Jesus followers would begin to have a tremendous impact for His kingdom here in the U.S. What are we afraid of?
  
There are of course other reasons why I voted for Obama, but these are the two I was asked about.  I know that there are a million articles, TV shows, radio shows and such out there contradicting what I have said about his positions.  I had a simple approach. I listened to the words that came out of his mouth, learned what I could from his past, listened to other men and women I respect who are closer to the issues, and made a decision.  
 
Now I pray for him because he as a tramendously difficult task ahead of him, and if I were him, I would want people praying for me.
 
Derrak
 

A Humble Reminder

December 3, 2008 in Worth Thinking About | 3 comments

britbritTonight I happened to catch a new documentary on MTV called Britney Spears: For the Record.  I must admit that my opinion of Britney has slowly declined over the past few years.  I just could not understand the decisions she was making. To me she just seemed like a spoiled brat drunk on the attention of the media and her fans.  In my eyes every move she made, even her attempts to stick it to the media were please for more attention.

Well, this documentary has really opened my eyes to who she really is. And what did I discover. . . .?  Well, she is just like all of us.  A human being who longs to be loved and to have purpose and meaning in her life.

I wonder how differently I would look at the world if I saw everyone through this lens.  How would I see the homeless man asking me for money?  How would I see the politician I just can’t stand? How would I see my neighbor who is a bit of a red neck? How would I see the single mom, the prostitute, the professional athlete, my wife?

I suppose I would see a little more like Jesus sees people.

derrak

Suffering is Good?

November 10, 2008 in Jesus | 1 comment

red-rain

“We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the Glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance; character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us”   – Romans 5.1-5 (NIV)

I have often wrestled with the Prosperity Gospel, that is, if you are right with God he will pour “blessings” upon you.  The truth is that suffering is the catalyst that is used to strengthen our faith, draw us closer to God, and help us to realize our great need for him and his great Love for us. The truth is that the true goal of trials is to increase our faith into a God-centered, God-dependent way of life. AND trials grow in us more hope. Then our hope in God grows in us an independent, unyielding, persevering faith in the face of struggle.

This hope that does not disappoint us sustains us. It is a hope rooted in the reality that God has poured out his love into our hearts.  ”His love” is not “our love for God”, but rather “His love for us”. 

So I say, as much as I hate it, bring on the trials.  Because only in these moments do I find my faith truly alive, and only in these times am I truly aware of his great love for us and that hope that does not disappoint.

Derrak

A Confession from A Modern Evangelical Part 1

November 7, 2008 in Culture, The Church, Worth Thinking About | 3 comments

I voted for Obama.
 
Recently, I was asked this question after a friend discovered I voted for Obama. I thought my response would make a good blog post.
“How can a God follower and believer of Jesus Christ support abortion and gay marriage without going against the morality that the bible teaches”
Gay marriage and abortion are not small issues. So I think it will be best for me to answer this question by sharing my views on these issues. I think this will help bring clarity why I was OK with voting for Obama, at least with regard to these two issues.
 
Abortion:
Fact – The abortion rate over the past 8 years has not gone down.
 
I voted for Bush both times, and do not regret those decisions. At the time they were the best choices for me to make and given the chance to make them again I do not know that I would vote differently. But, the reality is that the republican party knows that it needs the conservative right in order to win elections. What the last eight years and this single fact about abortion has proved to me is that they really have no intention of leading by the values of the “right”.  Yes, they have put in more conservative judges, and a few other things, but in my opinions the reality is that they just needed our vote and are doing enough just to get that.  Point in fact, the abortion rate has not gone down! I don’t even want to think about how many innocent babies died in the last eight years!
 
Obama has said that although he does not believe in eliminating a woman’s right to chose to have an abortion, he is committed to putting measures into place that help women chose to not have an abortion. He has committed to reducing the number of abortions. In my most honest moments, I think trying to reverse Roe vs. Wade is a pipe dream.  Look where this approach has gotten us so far, nowhere. The abortion rate is still the same.  The point is that trying to reverse Roe vs. Wade is not the BEST way to reduce the number of innocent babies being killed each year. This is an issue that requires a more broad and holistic approach. How many babies have to die before we realize this?
 
Now McCain simply has never committed to trying to reduce the number of abortions at all.  And quite frankly, I am tired of giving my vote away to a party with empty promises. In my opinion, actions have spoken louder than words here.
   
Come back for more in, “A Confession of A Modern Evangelical Part 2″
I know, it’s such an original headline.  ; )
       
Derrak

Unchristian – Book Report Part 2

October 28, 2008 in A Good Read, The Church, Worth Thinking About | 1 comment

Perception: Christians are insincere and concerned only with converting others.

For this book report I thought I would pick out some of the quotes from this chapter that most resonated with me. This chapter really hit home for me.  I have always felt that we sell short who Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit are when we make Christianity only about a ticket to heaven. There is so much more depth, richness, and fullness to Jesus Christ and the gospel than to reduce it to only this. Enjoy the quotes, and please leave comments and join the conversation.

“Christians want you to pay attention to their message about Jesus, yet somehow I don’t think Jesus would be happy about being turned into a gimmick”  - a nonbeliever interviewed for the study (pg.70)

“Obeying the command to make disciples does not give us license to offend people, especially when those offenses are actually inhibiting us from actually fulfilling that very commandment”     - pg. 71

“It is easy to embrace a costless form of Christianity in America today, and we have probably contributed to that by giving people a superficial understanding of the gospel and focusing only on their decision to convert.”   - pg. 75

“We will not be effective with Busters and Mosaics (people between the ages of 16 and 29) if we do not address the problem of superficial faith. . . Our enthusiasm for evangelism in not matched by our passion for and patience with discipleship and faith formation”   - pg. 76,77

“We have to embrace a more holistic idea of what it means to be a Christ follower.”   - pg. 79

“It is sobering to realize that most born-again Christians have very little understanding of what their priorities or passions should be as a Christ follower. Perhaps outsiders (non-christians) would realize that we’re not just about conversion if our faith provided a more  well-rounded and holistic picture of following Christ.”   - pg. 80

“By reducing the gospel to a what’s-in-it-for-me message, people feel Jesus exists for their benefit.”   - Rick McKinley – pastor,Imago Dei, Portland (pg.89)

“Just because someone prayed a prayer does not mean they put their faith in Jesus, were regenerated by the Spirit of God, and became a new creation in Christ. It may be a helpful tool for some, but it could be a point of departure and confusion for others”   - Rick McKinley – pastor,Imago Dei, Portland (pg.89)

“I just think that asking someone to commit to a major way of life like following Jesus Christ deserves much more respect than simple formulas”    - Rick McKinley – pastor,Imago Dei, Portland (pg.89)

 

Derrak

Universal Healthcare

September 17, 2008 in Culture | Leave a comment

It is kind of funny how twitter is changing the way we connect. Last night I posted a tweet about how I was having a discussion about universal health care, and I was shocked by how many responses I got. I mean 5 times more responses than any tweet I have ever made before. I guess this is an indicator of how much this is on our minds these days. 

So one of my new twitter friends Josh who was an “insurance” major in college made a post about universal health care on his blog. (click here to read it)  Soooooooooo, come one come all to the universal discussion on universal health care.  : )   I will post some, but lets start with Josh, he know way more than me.

Derrak

Book Report – Unchristian Part 1

September 14, 2008 in A Good Read, Culture, The Church | 2 comments

“Unchristian” What A New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity . . . And Why It Matters

by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons

I recently started reading Unchristian and quickly realized that this was one of those books that would put into words thoughts and feelings that I have been unable to put to words myself. There are a number of other books that I have felt this way about such as; Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller,  The Present Future by Reggie McNeal,  An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus, Art and the Bible by Francis Schaeffer, and The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawerence to name a few.

This time around I thought it would be cool to journal about my experience while reading this book. Hence, the reason you are reading this post, the first book report series on cicruschurch.com.

My intent is to post my thoughts, convictions, and/or inner turmoil once a week as I read and engage with this book. So here we go with part one . . .

To start it is important to note that this book was birthed out of a desire to understand more clearly what 16 – 29 year old (busters and mosaics) outsiders (people not involved in a church) really think about christians, and why they think the way they think.  In other words, what is behind their views.  The book itself centers around in-depth studies done by the Barna Group led by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. So the ideas expressed in this book, are really the result of much study as well as reflections and conclusions drawn from the data.

It is also important to note that we are talking about a significant slice of our emerging culture in the UnIted Sates today. These are the future CEO’s, public servants, teachers, business owners and leaders of our country, and there are about 24 million of them. (There are 24 million outsiders between the ages of 16 and 29 in the United States today and each passing generation contains more and more. page. 18)  

“The title of this book, Unchristian, reflects outsiders’ most common reaction to the faith: they think Christians no longer represent what Jesus had in mind.” (pg. 15)

“Often outsiders’ perceptions of Christianity reflect a church infatuated with itself.” (pg. 14)

Often Christianity’s negative image reflects real problems, issues that Christians need to own and be accountable to change.” (pg. 14)

The problem is that, though unintentional, the church in America has become for the most part about something completely different that what Jesus intended, and outsiders know it. We have become self indulgent, inward focused, political, judgmental, intolerant, weak, religious, angry, and without balance. Church has become all about ourselves, like a nice easy Sunday drive that lacks balance and fails to bring into sharp focus the mission of Jesus; to bring the kingdom of God to everyone, especially those who have the deepest needs.

This book is a wake up call.  Not to hijack Jesus and make him into something he is not just to be popular, but to really know who Jesus is. To live like he called us to live and actually continue the mission he started and has passed onto us. 

In the chapters to follow six basic assumptions outsiders have about Christians (Drawn from the research) will be addressed.

Outsiders think Christians are . . .

  1. Hypocritical
  2. Too Focused on Getting Converts
  3. Antihomosexual
  4. Sheltered
  5. Too Political
  6. Judgemental

“I hope that by helping you to better understand people’s skepticism, your capacity to love people will increase offering them genuin hope and real compassion through Jesus Christ . . . The Church desperately needs more people who facilitate a deeper, more authentic vision of the Christian faith in our pluralistic, sophisticated culture” (pg. 16,17)

Till next week.

Derrak

Donald Miller Again

August 29, 2008 in Culture, Worth Thinking About | Leave a comment

I know that I made a post concerning Donald MIller a few posts ago, but this author has become someone who has put to words many thoughts and feelings that I have had but have been unable to put to words myself.  I suppose this is what makes someone a good writer. : )

Anyway, I came across this video on his web site, and was very impressed by what he had to say while being interviewed for Christianity Today concerning his interactions with he Democratic party.

The Broken Church

August 28, 2008 in Culture, The Church | 2 comments

I think that most of the people in our culture who are not part of a church community would say that they think the church is broken.  What I mean by that is they do not feel that anything that happens in a church setting has any relevance to what happens in their normal everyday life. They see a bunch of people who are not really doing as Jesus did. In fact they see a group of people who are more about themselves then they are about living the way Jesus calls them to live. They feel church people want everyone to talk, dress, act, and think like them in order to be a part of their group. I think they wonder why the God of the universe needs our money. They wonder why church people think it is wrong to be gay.  They wonder why church people will not associate with a prostitute when Jesus did.  They question wether Jesus would always vote republican. They find it hard to imagine Jesus picking up a machine gun. They wonder why they should save sex for marriage when the divorce rate among ”church people” is the same as everyone else.  They cannot understand why Christians are so insistent, to the point of being mean, that they are correct and everyone else is wrong.

You know what, I wonder some of the same things. What do you think?  Is the church broken?

Derrak

Bike Across America for Water

June 25, 2008 in Worth Thinking About | Leave a comment

A group of people, including Donald MIller author of Blue Like Jazz are riding across america in the “Ride: Well Bike Tour” to raise money to build water wells in Africa. They started in Los Angeles and will end in Washington D.C. This is all through a pretty awesome organization called Blood:Water Mission. You can check out the progress and read some stories form the journey by going to Donald Miller’s blog.

It is so awesome to see Jesus Followers living out their faith, not just talking about it.

Derrak