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A survey just came out from Ireland saying “65% of those surveyed would choose to help the world as a whole, such as putting an end to poverty, bringing about world peace and stopping global warming.” At first read this might be seen as a good thing, but I think that it reveals a profoundly sad state. It reveals that people think that God should be a cosmic nanny–running behind us to pick up our messes, so that we are never inconvenienced by them. Afterall, when people say how they would do someone else’s job they are in effect saying they think he/she is not doing a good job. We want a God who will let us be lazy. We want a God who will pick up after us. While the Christian Faith does say that God needs to work for us to be reconnected to him, it also says that God also calls us to participate with him in cleaning up the mess that we have made.

God should be a cosmic nanny–running behind us to pick up our messes, so that we are never inconvenienced by them.

In the Christian faith, God invites us to participate rather than simply watch from the comfort of a cozy chair. God deeply cares for the poor (Jeremiah 22:3), He is Call the Prince of Peace(Isaiah 9:6), he even makes special rules for how we should treat the forests(Deuteronomy 20:20)–but rather than snapping his fingers and making the problem go away he says to us “come help me with this.”

For all our calls to action and our high respect for social justice, would we prefer to watch things get repaired, than actually help in the clean-up efforts?

Paul in 1 Corinthians 9 says that when he was with Jews he acts more like them, and when he was around greeks he acted as if he was a Greek. The texts begs the question how should we interpret Paul’s actions in the chapter, and what motivation might we attribute to this very peculiar activity.

Some might ask was Paul simply going with the flow? Was he just giving into peer pressure? Furthermore, Did he leave an example of conformity for Christians after him.
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One of the exciting and challenging parts of ministry at City Reformed has been the large amounts of young professionals connected to our church. In recent months it has been challenging in a different way, because we have recently started to feel the effects of the economic climate. I now know of several people in our church that have had major financial losses including being laid off, many because they were the newest hires they are becoming the first to be laid off.

I know that I have personally shrugged off the economic times, figuring its not as bad as people say it is, but I am becoming convinced that Christians need to start asking some tough questions about how we should respond to the current economy. Many lower income churches wrestle with how to deal with the poor around them, but I think that many more affluent churches might soon begin to feel the same tightening. The Bible is full of examples of how the poor should be taken care of during famines. I am beginning to think that in our current American context people out of work in a recessed if not depressed economy should care for in similar terms. Several of the NT books are penned to thank givers, to challenge those in better positions, or to encourage those in the midst of famine.

At what point do Churches fall into a James 2:16 situation when we simply pray for our members who are falling on tough times?

Are we willing to server and to be served if need be?

If economic depressions are the modern equivalent to famines how should the example set down in the books of Acts effect how we minister to other churches?

Does anyone know of any church taking up an offering for another church even within their denomination for our present famine? I am especially thinking of places in the midwest where automotive plants have recently closed.

Are churches beginning to ask themselves how can we care for people who have recently been laid off in our church? Especially when we consider that the chances of finding another job is becoming more difficult.

Could God be using our current situation to break much of the American church of its prideful and individualistic understanding of finances?

*by the way click on the picture above.

I was reading some blogs last night and noticed that Jonathan Hays brought up some questions about the PCA.

I wanted to spend a few minutes explaining some of the reasons why I am really happy to be a part of the Presbyterian Church in America.
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Building on what I wrote in my last post. I’ve decided to spend sometime looking at how the Apostles and the early church utilized technology. I will focus on three technologies: Roman ships. Roads that invention of the codex (book).

1. Roman Ships. With a simply glance at a bible map it is obvious that the expansion of the Gospel in the first few years of the church took place by means of sea transportation. The thing that is striking about the use of this technology is that it must have been apparent to the disciples that Christianity was being transported in a similar manor to other religious sects of the Roman world. In the Roman world, religions and philosophies of the day in large part moved around the empire from port to port, carried by passengers or crew on trading vessels. What this points to is the fact that the early church utilized methods that were very similar to the rest of the empire. It seems that when given the choice between appearing to be similar to other religious/philosophical movements OR the most effective expansion of the their message, the disciples choose the latter.

2. Roman Roads. Like the use of the employing ships for transportation, Roman roads allowed the Christians to quickly travel from city to city in the empire. While most people in the Presbyterian Church in America would agree that God expanded his church, “in the fullness of time” I wonder how many of them have realized that the Roman roads are not entirely unlike many modern technologies which folks in the PCA are not anxious to utilize. I can think of things such as email lists, the internet, and even social networking, which might be seen as similar to in their usefulness.

3. Letters & Books. Finally stepping a century in the future. The church was in fact a strong adopter of the earliest form the of book. Christians were able to transport, and therefore share larger amounts of information because of the more compact nature of books compared to the more clunky scroll. What this reveals is that the church decided to implement and even become an early adopter of a new technology for the advancement of Christianity.

Though I’ve included a few modern comparisons, I am not trying to argue that the PCA must use specific technologies. I am arguing that we should be considering how we can follow the example set before us in using every means possible to minster to as many people as possible.

Early Christians realize that the same roads and ships that they used, were used at other times, for sinful purposes. How could Paul not understand that the roads which he walked to share the gospel, were built to quickly move violent military units through out the empire, and yet he choose to redeem what was available to him.

Ok so though Ive known about the article for about a week, I just getting around to reading the article about the driscoll in the NYT. Im not sure
Here is one very interesting quote from the article:
Human beings are totally corrupted by original sin and predestined for heaven or hell, no matter their earthly conduct. We all deserve eternal damnation, but God, in his inscrutable mercy, has granted the grace of salvation to an elect few.

But I thought to myself–did they just say that in the New York Times?!?

The article makes me proud and a bit sad.

In Ezekiel 37 there is a passage that might be called the zombie chapter. Way before George Romero made the undead famous, Ezekiel wrote about the dead rising back to life. Of course when you read Ezekiel 37, and see how the undead come to life in Romero, there are few similarities. In Romero’s films the zombies are no truly alive, but simply reanimated, they come to life from some unknown source, and they have very base needs. Ezekiel, the dead are made alive, their flesh is regenerated, and their are given life by God. For Ezekiel the Word of God brings us back from death, not to be half human-mobs, but to be sons and daugthers of God, made more perfect, and living with God as our perfect and loving father.

Though most Christians would flinch at the comparison between a B-horror film and the Bible, in reality, many Christians hold to principles that seem to be closer to Zombie Films than to the Old Testament Prophet. Let me explain, in many of these films, the zombies are fixed on one thing: consuming human flesh. These zombies have limited mobility, but are still able to detect their needs and seek them. If you want to attract a zombie all you have to do is make some noise, and in moments they will show up. Many churches look at nonchristians more like the zombies of Romero, than the dry bones of Ezekiel. They think that if they make enough noise or put some meat in the air, that those zombies will come running. This is true across a wide variety of churches, from traditional presbyterians, to 3rd wave pentacostals, they are both looking to attract the zombie.

Spiritually people are alive or they are dead. Though many nonchristians might be offended by this idea, it is true and people who take a honest look at their lives will see the signs of death all around them, the destruction of relationships, the yearning for belonging, the desire to be something they are not, death is all around them.

Unfortunately many churches treat non-christians as spiritual zombies.

In Ezekiel 37, the Spirit of the Lord moves Ezekiel to the bones, the bones don’t come to Ezekiel. So many Christians still think that they are honored in their community just because they are the church, all they have to do is let people know they are around, and the zombies will start coming to them. Ezekiel goes to bones that are dry, and he preaches the word of God, and it is that word that brings the bones to life.

Lets leave the zombie motif behind.

Ezekiel went to the bones, and spoke to the bones, while they were still bones. So many christians today want to see non-christians hold to a certain set of moral standards before they will welcome them. They expect that these dry bones will get up and come to hear the word of the Lord, instead what Ezekiel says is that God sends his people to the spiritually dead to give them the one thing that can bring life.