Biblical Racism

I wonder if I would have owned slaves?

American Christianity today cries loudly against slavery, but the voices were muted in the earlier days of our nation. Many pastors, like Richard Fuller, used the Bible to justify the enslavement of blacks by white Christians, who themselves had been freed from the chains of sin by Jesus.

Of course I find black slavery and Jim Crow laws reprehensible today...but what if I had lived back then?

Recently I watched the Jackie Robinson biopic "42". Film critic Richard Roeper's called it an "unexceptional film about a most extraordinary man." Having read many firsthand accounts of Robinson's life, I would agree. However, one scene left me very unsettled. A young white boy sits next to his father who, upon seeing Robinson take the field, begins using that most infamous of black insults. The boy is initially rattled by his father's behavior, but soon emulates it and I wondered, "Would I have been that boy?"

This settles me on a hypothesis for Christians: When we fail to base our personal convictions on the basis of scripture, we form them on the basis of man. Today, we read scripture in light of our society where slavery isn't the norm. 18th century Christians read scripture in a different society and allowed what was normal to overwhelm what was true. 

I suppose it's possible I could have found myself justifying slavery and oppression of black men, women, and children while quoting scriptures. But perhaps I would have read scripture for myself and come to a different conclusion.

Like Wilberforce, whose conversion to Christianity led him to fight diligently for abolition.
Like the Quakers whose movement made slavery a central topic of discussion in Christianity.
Like Francis Wayland, the Brown University president who directly opposed the claims of Pastor Fuller.

Why did I write this? Mainly because I don't want us to take our beliefs for granted. Are your beliefs about the sanctity and value of human life based on biblical convictions or human teachings? Even if the teachings are true, responsible Christians must take the time to understand these truths themselves. Do not merely adopt the beliefs of those who seem trustworthy, but dig and discover the truth of God from the Word of God.

Christians are confronted with an ever-changing society, and it's critical that we be diligent disciples of God's never-changing Word. Finally, Here is an excellent article that more clearly details how Fuller and Wayland, each using scripture, reached their positions.  I highly recommend you take a few minutes to read it. 

I Should Probably Come Up With a Title

I hate titling sermons. Some churches have creative teams that assist the pastor in creating a sermon title or series that will attract hearers...

Comeback!
Overcoming the Storms of Life!
Seven Secrets to Sabotage Selfishness!

I think creating themes like this is smart and fits the old adage,
"If you can't describe your sermon/speech/essay in one sentence, you did it wrong."

So why do I struggle with sermon titles? I can generally summarize each of them with a sentence, so it seems like the title would come pretty easily. However, truth is a deep well. People can drink of it, and be impacted in different ways. I can preach a message on financial stewardship and instead see someone walk past their past in an unrelated area of sin, pleading for Jesus to save them (true story).

Peter, Paul, and even Jesus didn't title their sermons. We did it for them, trying to provide a summary of each section of each chapter of the Bible. Have you ever read one of those subheadings like "Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand" and realized His feeding of the multitude wasn't the point?
SPOILER ALERT: The point was 12 weak-faithed disciples had to pick up, hold, and stare into 12 baskets of leftovers. The miracle wasn't to feed hungry people, but to feed the faith of these future missionaries/pastors/church planters.

Preacher: Next time you write a sermon, don't become so focused on a theme or title that you dry up the various truths that tend to leak out around the edges and speak to people in profound ways! Don't focus on how another pastor does it. Focus on how God has called YOU to do it.

Hearer: Next time you sit to listen to a message, don't presume the sermon title is all God may potentially want to talk with you about.

Why Anti-Bullying Doesn't Work

My parents used to dip my fingers in jalapeno juice. 

Why was I subjected to such cruel and unusual punishment? Because I wouldn't stop biting my fingernails, leaving my fingers looking awful. At first the burning was a pretty strong deterrent, but still didn't stop me from this poor habit. A guitar did. 

If you've never played guitar, that highest E string is pretty thin. This becomes very apparent when you're biting your nails very short and the string jams between the nail and the skin, as happened to me during a worship set one morning at church!

(Dramatic re-enactment)

That was it. I resolved to stop biting my nails to improve the appearance of my hands, and allow me to play guitar pain-free. It's been 7 years and I haven't gone back to it since. So what made the change? I needed a reason to stop. Telling me it was bad wasn't nearly as impactful as gaining a real understanding of why I should quit. 

Which takes me to the subject of bullying. If you haven't seen the heart-wrenching video of Keaton Jones sharing his experience of being bullied at school, you should.

As I watched, I began to ask, "Why aren't the anti-bullying campaigns working?" Clearly because kids don't have a reason to. Bullying isn't overcome without a strong reason why, and saying, "It's wrong" clearly isn't enough.

We have to make our kids pro-people.

The strong reason is this: every person is a creation of God (Gen 1:26). He has built them with value, worth, and an eternal soul. When someone is bullied, the very creation of God is mocked. Sadly, Christians in my elementary school were some of the harshest bullies I faced. Imagine if instead of making fun of my cheap clothes they had talked to me about treasures in Heaven! Think of how my life could have been changed earlier with knowledge of a God who loved me. Loving Christians could have made such a positive impact!

I want to see an end to bullying. But instead of focusing on anti-bullying, teach your kids to be pro-people! Remind them that every person has been made in the image of God. God has placed many types of people in our circle of influence so we can love them and learn from them. I know this has motivated me to a fresh conversation with my own kids today. 

You Need To Shut Up and Pray

You talk too much. I know this is true, because I do it too. 

We've often been told that praying is just us talking to God, but I'm realizing that's only half right. In reality, prayer is a back and forth conversation with God.

The Hebrew word "palal" is the common OT form of the word prayer "and it expresses the idea of coming between two parties" (Vine's Word Studies). In the NT, "proseuchomai" is the word you'll see most often referring to prayer to God. It's meaning isn't mere conversation, but an attitude of worship.

The question is: Are YOU talking too much in your prayers? 

And the LORD came and called as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel replied, "Speak, your servant is listening." 1 Samuel 3:10 (NLT)

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26 (ESV)

Today I realized my prayers aren't very wide. While I'm praying for others beyond myself and family, I stopped my prayers this morning and said, "Lord, where else are you calling me to focus my prayers?" It's not only because my prayers have power, but I believe God is always challenging us to live in greater awareness of others. Awareness is unlikely to take root if I'm talking all the time.

My prayer was followed by a few moments of silence and then unexpected words! I found myself praying for those impacted by the hurricanes, those soon to be impacted, and those working to impact these communities for the gospel . Prayers for President Trump and his advisers as they went to the U.N. soon came. The people of North Korea, people God created and loves, were also lifted up in my heart and mouth.

What prayers is the Holy Spirit holding for you today? Before you start the prayer wheel turnin', be sure you invite God to turn it with prayers that empower others while stretching your heart and mind. Let's be willing to shut up, listen, and THEN pray! 

Don't Stop Believing....or Talking!

Why is it that God seems to deal differently with the unbelief of His people? This question came from my recent simultaneous prep for a sermon and Sunday School lesson.

"So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." Hebrews 3:19

In Hebrews 3, God clearly reveals that Israel was kept out of the Promised Land for one reason. It wasn't their unworthiness, but their unbelief. As a result, the Jews wandered in the desert for 40 years until that unbelieving generation died out.

So why did Moses get a pass?

In Exodus 3, Moses is fully confronted by God and challenged with a great task:
"Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." Exodus 3:10

If you know the story, you know that Moses offered up numerous objections. Even as he spoke directly with God, Moses continued to suffer from unbelief.

So why did God stick it out with Moses, but Israel had to wander the desert? The difference I see is a willingness to keep the conversation going. When Israel was met by the challenges of God's call, they didn't talk to Him about it at all. Instead, they began discussing who they could replace Moses with to take them back to Egypt. You know...the place they lived as slaves!

Years before this, Moses is called by God to lead these people out of that very same slavery. During the course of the conversation, Moses repeatedly attempts to get out of this call. He doesn't believe he has any ability to truly by used by God in such a big way. Essentially, he's dealing with unbelief, and yet, Moses never quits the conversation.

Therein lies the lesson. God knows we're going to have faith struggles, believing God's promises because of our own inadequacies, a long delay, or the perceived impossibility of the task. But God is gracious!

As Jesus was brought a demon-possessed boy to be healed, the boy's Father asked Jesus to do something if He was able. Jesus tells the Father that all things are possible to Him who believes. This father seems to have believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but he still dealt with doubts. Maybe it was because his son had suffered so long, but he responds to Jesus, "I do believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24). Jesus then casts out the demon and heals the boy.

God knows you. God knows your heart. God knows your faith struggles. In all of this, unbelief is a constant barrier that allow us to miss God's best because we failed to pursue it. When the situations are challenging, keep the conversation going! Bring your doubts and fears to God. He is capable of not only working in your situation, but in strengthening your faith in the process. So keep talking, believing that God is working and listening!

When the Time is Right

My son just got a truck...and yet he's had it for five months.

Back in March, Tyler started driving a lot more with his permit. One morning, I began to realize we may need an extra vehicle to actually get five family members to all the places they need to go. On the exact day I had this realization, my mom called to say she and my step-dad wanted to give Tyler one of their vehicles they weren't using much anymore.

I hadn't prayed about it yet. In fact, I had barely become conscious of the need, and already God had been working out the timing on a blessing for our family. (Shout out also to my gracious siblings for being totally excited and cool with Tyler receiving this incredible gift from his grandparents.)

In April, Tyler was asked to write down three wishes for a creative writing assignment. As I read over it, I noticed Wish #2: "I wish for a car. Hopefully a truck...don't care what kind it is! And I'd like it to be black."

Meanwhile, this is what God had already provided...

But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me Micah 7:7

Here's my point. Stop living in what you can see. Stop presuming God isn't working while you're still waiting. If God had given my son this truck a year ago, it would have been wasted, just sitting around while he didn't even had a permit. Instead, God brought him what was needed when it was needed and not before!

I'm reminded that God is perfect. He exists outside of time, never hurrying to catch up. God is the master storyteller working behind the scenes on our behalf. When I'm calling to Him, He hears me. Like the old gospel song says, "He may not come when you want Him, but He'll be there right on time!"

Will that black truck you've been hoping for always be God's answer? No, but our responsibility is to pray specifically and then trust God with the specifics. When the time is right, God will give us the right answer. Remember His words from Psalm 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God."

A River of Prayer

Prayerwalking along the river is a favorite spot of mine. 

As I walk along I pray against my sin. I pray for my family, my friends, and my church. But, as I walked and talked with God today the image of the river became an image of my prayer life.

Like my prayers, this river changes. Some days it's choppy and churning, while other days leave it as smooth as glass. My prayers are like that too. Sometimes, I feel like a spiritual mess with more in my heart than I could ever let out through my lips. There are also the days I feel a great peace in the wake of a big answer from the Lord, or merely because I've learned to wait more patiently for the answer.

My prayers have changed alongside these waters. Certain prayers for my children have turned to praises, while others grow in persistence. Church emergencies are now water under the bridge, part of the testimony of God's work in our church. As I pray, I find God deepens the shallow expectations of many of my prayers.

The river also warns me against forgetfulness towards God's work. How many prayers have I sailed down this river? Water that was right next to me a few weeks ago has traveled hundreds of miles since. In the same way, so have many of my prayers. I've seen God answer, whether "yes" or "no", and I see that He continues working on my behalf. The river reminds me against merely throwing out new needs, but to thank Him for the requests that have since been handled by a loving, powerful God.

So whether your prayer life is choppy or calm, prayer still matters. Keep talking to God. Keep sailing those prayers down that river to the God who has created us and loves to hear from us.