Nicodemus at Night

The Way

2012-02-26T09:25:00.000-08:00

Going back to my last post on names, I think the "name" that resonates with me the most right now is "The Way", or more specifically, "The Way of Jesus." I recently listened to the audiobook version of "Finding Our Way Again" by Brian McLaren. One of his focuses of the book was that the church in Acts was often called "The Way."

The phrase "The Way" makes me think of a way of life, a journey. I have a theological education and have studied much about the church. So, I know many of the "answers" to questions people have about the Bible and Christianity. I have spent time figuring out the teachings I "believe" in. But, often, my life has been empty and the promise of Jesus for an abundant life has sounded hollow. But, when I have taken the time to "practice" my faith, things are different.

McLaren (and I'm going from memory, so don't quote me) likens spiritual disciplines (like prayer, study, etc.) to practicing for anything else. Whether it is football, piano, a foreign language, or ballet, anyone who wants to BE a football player, pianist, fluent speaker, or ballet dancer, must put in the time practicing. The same thing goes for the life of faith. If we want to be people who live a life of love for God and others, if we want to live with passion, purpose, and integrity, then we need our practice! And, we practice by carving out the time to do spiritual disciplines. These disciplines can be fixed hour prayer, fasting, and the other things McLaren talks about in his book, or they could be other forms of prayer, study, fellowship, stewardship, and the like. But, it is when I am making the effort to PRACTICE the Way of Jesus, the closer I feel to Jesus. And, the more authenticity I have in talking about what God is doing in my life.

What about you? Do you have experience with spiritual practices?

A Struggle with Names

2012-02-19T09:17:00.000-08:00

I’ve actually found a struggle in writing these posts: Whatdo I call my faith? It isChristianity? The Christianreligion? My faith? My relationship with Jesus? My spirituality?

“Christianity” connects me to the entire history ofprofessed Christ-followers, both the good and the bad, the right and thewrong. Oh, and it connects me to Christ,but I feel the linguistic link between “Christianity” and “Christ” has beenstrained through the misuse and abuse of the Christian banner.

“Religion” connects me to all who follow a faith tradition,no matter what that faith tradition is. But, a religion can be a system of beliefs, symbols, and rituals. Those are important to my “faith” but is thata box too small?

“My faith” is personal, it is mine. But, does that disconnect me from the rest ofthe church/Body of Christ (another complicated naming). And, is that trust (faith) connected to the church,the history, the beliefs, to Jesus?

“My spirituality” is also personal, disconnected. It correctly connects my life to thespiritual, but what does that even mean? Spirituality is an amorphous term, and not really native to my tongue.

“My relationship with Jesus” is also personal, connected toJesus (or at least the Jesus I have a relationship with, even if that is notthe true Jesus). But, it is disconnectedto history, theology, and the community.

In the end, I will probably use a combination of terms torefer to my life as I connect myself in beliefs, practice, and community to thepeople seeking to follow the Jesus proclaimed in Scripture (Old and NewTestaments) and in the historical Body of Christ struggling with sin throughoutour human lives. This is Christianity,my faith, my relationship with the One who died and rose again for my sake.

God help me!

Others Obstacles

2012-02-12T09:30:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I’m getting tired of talking about thenegatives. I wanted to get these out ofthe way first before I start building up some positive answers. So, I will finish up the negatives (for themost part) today and start on the positives next time!

So, some other obstacles for people to be Christian:

Historical Problems: The official, institutional church structures have a very good track record of talking for God, but a “spotty” record at best for living out that calling. The Roman Catholic Church gets criticized often for the Inquisitions, Crusades, Clergy Sex Scandals, etc., but they aren’t the only ones. Many churches in Germany joined Hitler rather than opposing him and throughout church history (for any church) there are the bad spots. Again, pride generally makes the problems worse, and humility makes them better.
Denominational Infighting: I am a member of a denomination and am glad I am in my particular tradition, but I must admit that the arguments between denominations often do not serve to spread the gospel (although I must also admit that sometimes they do).
Creationism/Anti-Scientism: The opposition by some Christians to science and specifically the fights over creationism drive some or many away from Christianity.
Intrinsic Obstacles: This is a category of things that are less “problems” and more just obstacles, including the belief in the supernatural, questions about the Bible, and difficult questions (like the problem of evil). These can be discussed in a loving way, but most cannot be “solved” without damage to essential beliefs.

Are there any other obstacles you have heard people talkabout or felt yourself?

Obstacle #2: “Can’t stand the hypocrisy!”

2012-02-10T07:44:00.001-08:00

One thing I’ve heard over and over is, “Christians are abunch of hypocrites.” As with anygeneralization, this is not true. But,it hits closer to home than is pleasant. Even if we discount all of the pastors/priests caught in scandals(sexual or otherwise) and the “family values” politicians caught in adultery,your standard Christian doesn’t come off too well.

There are the well-meaning (I believe) folk who push theirmoral agenda with so much passion and vitriol that it looks like hatred (and thisworks for both sides of the aisle). And,then there are the rest of us. We attachourselves to a Lord who commands us to love others as the second greatestcommandment, who demonstrated what this looks like by dying on the cross forus, we are told to be people of peace, love, forgiveness, and prayer. We even point to those who have changed theworld through their faith and love (the oft-used example of Mother Theresacomes to mind). But, often at our bestwe are “nice” and “good people.” Weclaim to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, armed with the faith that can movemountains, and have a direct line to the King of the Universe. But, is there evidence in our lives or thelives of those around us that this is true? Are we saying one thing and doing another?

Are you a hypocrite? I sadly admit that I am.

Obstacles to being a Christian

2012-02-05T09:04:00.001-08:00

So, there are not only bad reasons for being a Christian,but there are obstacles to being a Christian. (this, as well as everything else in this blog, is my opinion, but inobedience to a high school English teacher, I will not continuously state that)

Obstacle #1: “Christians are mean”

This obstacle is probably one of the most unfortunate. Jesus said that people will know that we arehis disciples by our love. The summaryof the entire Torah (law) is to love God and our neighbors. We confess that God is love. But, Christians (or maybe “Christians”) oftenact in very unloving ways. Whether thisis bullies or fighting in church (which I’ve heard can be some of the nastiestfights of any organization) or fighting over an issue in public (homosexuality,abortion, and “Happy Holidays” come to mind), people who are representingChrist can come off as hateful, angry, and mean.

We are all sinners, this is true, but we are supposed to befighting our sinful nature, not each other. According to Scripture, followers of Christ are to live lives marked bylove and service of the other, forgiveness, and peace. And, there are many who are doing this, but unfortunatelythere are many that are not (and they get the most press).

Have you experienced mean “Christians”? What happened? How should we react to mean actions in thename of Christ?

Hey, you out there!

2012-01-29T09:12:00.001-08:00

Okay, I know there are some people reading this. Now, it’s your turn.

Do you consider yourself a Christian?
Do you know why you are a Christian?
Do you attend church?
Why do you attend church (or why don’t you attend church)?
What do you struggle with?

Please comment below, even if it is anonymously.

Wrong Answer #3: Prosperity (Being a Christian will make my life better.)

2012-01-24T07:16:00.001-08:00

I am not a Christian because it will make my life better,easier, and definitely not to make me more financially prosperous. It is not about joining the right countryclub or making the right connections, either with influential people or evenworse, a close connection with the “Big Guy” upstairs. God is the King, and kings always havehangers-on who follow the king because they want more influence and access tothe royal “gravy train.” The only lovethat this answer includes is the love of self and the love of money. Neither is a good reason to be aChristian. Sure, Christians have beensuccessful and influential, but successful and influential people have becomeChristians and have had their lives turned upside down. Check out Paul of Tarsus in the book ofActs. He had a great career going, hewas a rising star. Then, he beganfollowing Jesus and he got beaten, stoned (not the kind with drugs),shipwrecked, cursed, jailed, etc. Notexactly success and prosperity as we normally see it, right?

At the same time, this is a dangerous answer to label as “wrong”because there are some true aspects to it as well, but I’ll talk about thoselater.

Wrong Answer #2: The Heavenly Insurance Policy

2012-01-15T08:49:00.001-08:00

One of the evangelism techniques taught is to scare anindividual into believing that they are going to go to hell when they die andthat they need Jesus to get into Heaven. The thing is, though I don’t know how effective this technique is, it isreducing Jesus into a ticket to Heaven, or a heavenly insurance policy.

There is a story of an ancient Sufi (Muslim) mystic named Rabia Basri whereshe walked through the streets of Basra (now Iraq) carrying a lit torch in onehand and a bucket of water in the other. When asked what she was doing, she said that the water was to douse thefires of hell and the torch was to burn up the rewards of Paradise. That way, people would not serve God toescape the fires of hell or to get into heaven, but to serve God for the sake ofone’s love for God alone.

Jesus is not a ticket. He is not an insurance policy. And, a follower of Christ cannot just say the Sinner’s Prayer or getbaptized and then live however they want knowing that the policy is in thedrawer. Christian faith is not aboutheaven or hell, even if they might play a role in it. I am not a Christian for fear of hell or hopeof heaven!

Check back next time for Wrong Answer #3!

The “Not” Answers

2012-01-13T08:23:00.000-08:00

I am a Christian. Iam happy about that. I have no intentionor desire of changing that. There arereasons I am a Christian, but there are wrong answers (for me) for being aChristian.

Wrong Answer #1: Because I’m an American

Personally, I hate this answer (okay, I hate all of theseanswers). The United States has been culturally Christian, in part because theEuropean immigrants were culturally Christian, which is because Christianityand the political structure of Europe overlappedin some very un-Christian ways. But,many of our “Founding Fathers” (to whom I am very grateful, I do love thiscountry and its wonderful Constitution, especially the freedom of religionclause) were theists, disbelieving in the divinity of Christ and otheressential Christian teachings. A personcan be a patriotic American and be an atheist, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, oranything else under the sun. A personcan be a Bible-believing, Christ-following Christian and be from (and livingin) any country on this planet (and possibly beyond this planet). Christian and American are two totally differentcategories. Saying that they are thesame is some version of syncretismor even possibly a version of caesaropapism.

Agree? Disagree? Write a comment!

Check back tomorrow for Wrong Answer #2!

The Easy Answers

2012-01-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

There are many easy answers to the question: Why am I aChristian? The easiest of them all isthat I was born to Christian parents, baptized as a Christian, was taught to bea Christian, and grew up as a Christian. This is all true, and not something to be taken lightly. Our context as we grow up plays a huge rolein who we grow up to be. I for one amworking hard to raise my children in the faith, to explain what we do and whywe do it. But, that is not enough. Tradition has power, but tradition does nothave within it the power of truth. Justbecause something was handed down to me, even from antiquity, does not make ittrue. My tradition is different fromyours, and from everyone’s all over the world. Tradition is relative.

Why am I a Christian? Another easy answer is that it works for me. Reading Scripture, praying, and attendingweekly worship services help me in good times and bad. The way I interpret the world based on mytheology helps me make sense of everything; it gives me a sense of purpose andbelonging. The moral guidance ofScripture and the church help me to be a better person. I think this answer is getting closer, butnot there yet. My faith, my religion isuseful to me. There is power inthat. But, this is stillindividual. It’s still about me. What is useful to me is not necessarilyuseful to you. Usefulness is alsorelative.

Why am I a Christian? Because it is true. That is theonly answer that holds true power, but it is also too easy. If the story that Scripture tells about theworld is not true, if God did not in fact come in the flesh, die, and riseagain, then I would believe and hope in vain. My faith is more than the comfort of eating turkey on Christmas Day orthe usefulness of my Internet browser. My faith is based on my interaction with the base level of reality inthe universe. But, it is not an intellectualassent to a list of statements, it is not based on signing an affirmation offaith. There are many things stated bychurches and Christians around the world that I don’t believe to be true. There are even things in the Bible that makeme back away from a literalistic “inerrant” view of Scripture. Now, don’t get me wrong. There are true statements about God, Jesus,the Bible, the church, and learning and molding your life around them isimportant. But, that is not thesubstance of my faith. That is not why Iam a Christian.

So, why am I a Christian?

Calling All Questioners!

2012-01-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

I realize that this blog is new, and I might not have manyreaders yet. But, are there any otherNicodemus’ out there? Anyone else(especially those invested in the church as pastors, staff, council members,Sunday school teachers, etc.) who want to ask the big, scary questions, but areafraid of what they might find?

Because, here is the truth. If you ask the question “Why am I aChristian?” you might find that the answers you can come up with arehollow. You might find that your reasonsfor being a Christian, for belonging to a certain church, are similar to yourreasons for shopping at a specific grocery store. Are convenience, familiarity, and good pricesthe reason you go to church? Is itbecause you know the people there? Becauseyour kids “need church”?

If you do join me in asking the big, scary questions, I hopeyou will be brave. I hope you willsearch your heart, your life, and even your Bible. Because, even though I’m asking thesequestions, and feeling a bit scared in doing so, I know in my deepest heartthat Jesus is holding me securely in his hand and will never let me go.

My God is big enough to handle questions. Is yours?

Please comment with the questions you have!

Why am I a Christian?

2012-01-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

The man crept throughthe darkened streets, casting furtive glances over his shoulder. Was anyone watching? Did anyone see him? He found the door, and knocked gently,praying that the one inside would hear, but praying also that he would not.

The door creaked open,the glow of an oil lamp spilling onto the man’s feet. “Come.” The word was loud against the quiet of the night, an invitation and achallenge. The man entered and closedthe door quickly.

“Rabbi,” hebreathed. In front of him stood a manwith a gentle face, illuminated by the lamp.

“Welcome, Nicodemus,”said the Rabbi.

---

I am Nicodemus. Likethe Pharisee who visited Jesus that night so long ago, I am a religious leader,wary of asking my questions in public. But, some questions just need to beasked.

I have been a Christian my whole life, studied at arespected seminary, and hold a position of leadership at my church. I have far to go in my journey as a faithfuldisciple, but I am working at it. But,recently I came across a pair of questions that made me step back and think.

1) Why am I a Christian?

2) Why should others be Christians?

It is not as though I doubt Jesus as my Lord andSavior. But, these questions floored mebecause I am not able to give a good answer. As a follower of Jesus and as a leader, I should be able to give goodanswers to these questions, but right now I cannot. By a “good answer” I mean a well thought out,cogent answer that speaks to my whole being, that comes from my heart andcontains all of my passion. An answerthat contains my love for God in all my heart and soul, mind and strength, bodyand spirit, as well as my love for my neighbor.

I can give some quick, snappy answers, answers that I haveheard, consent to, and can rattle off without much thought orintrospection. But, how would thatbenefit me or anyone else? Wouldn’t itbe better to dig deep and sit with the questions? Wouldn’t it be better to pray through thequestions?

Note:

Why Anonymous? The questions I am asking are good, honestquestions, so, why hide my identity? This is definitely not as high-stakes as those bloggers who could losetheir jobs or lives if they are found out. But, unfortunately, not everyone is accepting of those asking bigquestions, especially if those asking are in positions of churchleadership. I honestly believe thatexploring these questions will ultimately lead to a stronger faith for myselfand for others, but sometimes weak spots must first be destroyed before beingrebuilt stronger. I feel that thehonesty of anonymity would be helpful in that. If you don’t think there can be honesty in anonymity, then don’t readthis!