A Fulfilled Prophecy

Election years always bring about questions regarding faith and politics. "How much should faith inform politics?" This really hit me the other day, when I saw footage of John McCain exiting his bus with Rod Parsley nipping at McCain's heels. I have been very uncomfortable with the way the so-called Christian Right has been in bed with the Republican Party. (One could even make the argument that the Christian Left--and it does exist--is in bed with the Democratic Party.)

I have been reading one of the great books of religious history in America. It is Revivalism and Social Reform by Timothy L. Smith. On page 16, Smith writes:

[Fletcher] Harper [of Harper's Weekly] complained that clergymen and laymen alike rejoiced when they could persuade a politician or "some old hero of a general" to "harangue on such utilities before the annual religious gatherings"--as though the testimonies of public men were necessary to vindicate the gospel. He warned that if these aspects of religion continued to be presented as the chief ground of its support, Christianity would cease to serve the republic. Instead of the church evangelizing the world, the world would secularize the church.

I ask: "Is that not were we are today?" The church has sought its legitimacy from famous people--be they politicians, athletes, actors, etc. Does the church need John McCain (or some other famous person) to give Christianity legitimacy? Is not the church's legitimacy in Jesus Christ? He said, "Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).

The reality is that the church winds up secularized.

This is not to say that Christians should abstain from voting or refrain from entering the political arena. The problem comes from when we try to show how legitimate our faith is based on who wins elections.

Trusting God

Trusting God is one of the hardest things for must of us to do. We like to make sure we have all our bases covered. It does not really matter what it is. We fuss and worry about finances. We do everything possible to protect our kids. The thing is that the more we do this--the harder we hold onto these things--the harder is for us to give them to God. I will give you a personal example.

When I pastored our little church, I wanted to see it grow, naturally. I analyzed the data--giving patterns, attendance patterns, visitor patterns, etc.--to see where we had been and where we might go. I read books on church management, church growth, outreach and the like. Often God had to shake me up and say Wait a minute! Who's in charge here? What are you trusting in? Me or something else?

It is easy to get caught up in trusting other things.

Jesus talked about childlike faith. We need to have unreserved faith in our God to take care of us. When my daughter was younger she used stand on the couch. She would leap with all her might toward me. In mid-air, she would holler out, "Catch me, daddy!" She had absolute faith in me that I would catch her. Thankfully, I caught her. We need to leap with the faith that God will catch us.

Suffering

In inputting some of my library on LibraryThing.com, I noticed the subtitle to one of my books: "What Christians today would survive persecution?" It is a book about the centuries of persecution in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

The reality is that thousands of Christians around the world today are facing persecution. They are imprisoned, tortured, separated from family, beaten, losing money and jobs, and being killed. Visit the Voice of the Martyrs website to read a few of their stories.

Persecution does not exist in America, thank God. Despite what some whiny leaders talk about manger scenes being banned from public spaces, there is no systematic persecution in America. Some of us may have people make fun of us for being Christian. Americans freely go to church. Americans freely shop in Christian bookstores. Americans freely tote Bibles around. Americans freely affix corny Christian bumper stickers to their cars. Americans freely where Christian t-shirts. Americans are not imprisoned for their faith. Churches are not burned to the ground, at any greater rate than any other building. Bibles are not burned.

I wonder though, what would happen to the American church if persecution did break out? Just because it is not a present reality, it could be a future reality. Would so many nominal Christians recant their faith? Or, would they stand up for their faith? It is easy to be a Christian when there is no real opposition. It is quite another thing when faced with difficulty: beating, loss of a job, loss of family, loss of security, or death.

Americans are rather soft. We do not like any inconvenience. We cannot stand a little pain. We hate to wait in line. We hate to have to go out of our way for anything.

What would happen if persecution did break out in our land?

Taking a Leap of Faith

Have you ever taken a leap of faith, I mean a real leap of faith? When I was almost 15, my parents picked up and moved 350 miles so we could attend a church that had a good youth group. That is crazy, their relatives said. And, here's the kicker, they had no jobs. My dad had just retired, and my mom was still working. She called a business where a friend was working and said, "Hey, we're moving to town. Do you have a job for me?" God provided. She got a job. We had food, clothing and shelter.

My cousin is now in the process of taking a huge leap of faith. He is starting a new church plant. At the age of 46, he is striking out on a "shoestring budget." You can check out his church's website, which has his blog.

No "Churchy" Answers

One thing that I cannot stand is the standard, pat, "churchy" answer. The answer to a question that runs like this: "We need to love God more," "We should read our Bible and pray." (Excuse me for a moment while I hurl.)

I have worked with teens and children in a church setting, along with adults, during my life. When we are in the midst of a Bible study, someone usually pipes up with one of these ridiculous answers.

I have declared any Bible study I lead to be a "No Churchy Answer Zone." No one is allowed to answer a question with a churchy answer. I want those I lead to get deeper than these superficial answers.

One of the problems is that the publishing companies (I will not mention any specifically) who publish these Bible studies and Sunday school material. Many of the questions that they write beg churchy answers. Take this one for example: "How can you practice leaning on God’s power, in that one area, this coming week?" The standard churchy answer will run: "I can read my Bible and pray every day," or "I can come to church." I am not discounting the role of Bible reading, prayer or church attendance, but can we not get beyond the superficial?

Let's get deeper in our faith. Let's ask questions that make us uncomfortable.

Instead of asking: "How can I show love to others?" let's ask: "How would you respond to a single mom with three kids who asked you for help?"

Vague and superficial questions keep our faith vague and superficial. Difficult questions cause us to stretch and reevaluate our faith.