Category: Diversity

Have They Come For You?

Recently, I posted a blog which spoke of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his opposition to Adolf Hitler, a stand which cost him imprisonment and finally, execution, in a Nazi concentration camp (see The Era of Stupidity, November 14).  Today, I’m going to refer to another German Lutheran pastor who likewise opposed the Nazis and who also suffered imprisonment for his stand. Also, like Bonhoeffer, this other theologian had important things to say which are as relevant today in America as they were in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s.

Martin Niemöller (1892-1984) was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian who opposed Hitler’s Nazification of the German Church. At first, before Hitler took total power, Niemöller approved of the leader for opposing the atheistic Communists, and actually met with him. During their meeting, Hitler assured Niemöller that the Nazis would respect the freedom and autonomy of the Church. However, when Hitler became chancellor and began asserting control over the churches by appointing Nazi-approved bishops and limiting what could be preached and taught, Niemöller joined other objectors in denouncing Hitler and his party.

Of course, this didn’t sit well with the dictator, so Niemöller was arrested and imprisoned in the Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps for seven years, from 1938 to 1945. Fortunately, he survived the ordeal.

Niemöller’s most famous quote, and the one most pertinent to today’s situation, is this one which he wrote in 1946:

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

His poem was a confession of the fact that he, and many others in the Church, did nothing when the government targeted various groups as being undesirable, a burden on society, or non-conforming to its orders. Out of cowardice or complicity, many Christian leaders kept quiet as Jews and others were arrested and persecuted, because it didn’t affect them personally. Even if they didn’t like what was happening, they justified their silence as preserving their own ministries.

What struck me in reading Niemöller’s statement about the costs of remaining silent, was its applicability to today’s “cancel culture” in our country.  We’ve watched as many people have been attacked by various social media, or fired, or “cancelled” from speaking publicly. People are shunning other people – former friends and even relatives – who voice anything they dislike. Even worse, some are attacked just because they don’t agree fervently enough with the attacker. And yet, though we don’t like what is happening, how many of us actually speak out and actively defend those who get cancelled?

This phenomenon is not new. In a sense, warfare and murder itself are forms of cancelling people (permanently). But even when people set out to shut up others peacefully, there is an inherent violence in the attitude that often comes out in actual violence against those being cancelled. Some historical examples illustrate this point of people who were once allied but suffered because they fell out of favor or were deemed not enthusiastic enough for “the cause”:

  1. Following up on the violence perpetrated by the Nazis, Hitler turned on one of his earliest fervent friends and supporters, Ernst Röhm, murdering him and disbanding his pro-Nazi militia in 1934.
  2.  In the Soviet Union, Josef Stalin denounced and executed some of his allied communist leaders, including Leon Trotsky, who had served in the Russian revolution with Lenin. He conducted what is called the Great Purge (called by the Russians, “The Great Terror”), dividing people by their class and ideology before executing literally millions of them. He then executed his leaders who had conducted the purges for him.
  3.  Another Great Terror took place in France during and following their revolution. Again, social class and fervency for the cause were criteria for whether someone lived or died. Eventually the revolutionary leader, Maximilien Robespierre himself, died on the guillotine in 1794 after being denounced by his fellow revolutionaries.
  4. Following our own revolution, numerous Americans who had remained loyal to the Crown were harassed. Some 80,000 of them fled to Canada or back to Britain for safety.
  5. Lest we find the Church faultless in this area, consider the Inquisitions conducted by the Roman Catholic Church for four hundred years, which purged the Church and its territories of people considered to be heretics or Protestants. The accused lost jobs, positions, families, and even their lives. The number of executions is estimated at some 32,000 people.

Beliefs do matter, and the impetus to ally with those of like mind and purpose is a powerful and important one. I certainly would not have called any non-believers to serve as my associate pastors. Our church body does conduct thorough reviews of all candidates to make sure they know and believe the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions. But the difference is, we don’t execute those who don’t make it!

But now, our society is tearing apart as people group themselves and others into “acceptable” and “unacceptable” categories. What race are you? How old are you? Who did you vote for? What did you post on social media? What did you tell a friend twenty years ago in private, that now became public? What belief did you espouse that was once popular, but now is considered offensive? What are your preferred pronouns? Vaccinated or unvaccinated? Which computer system do you use, Mac or PC?

As you can see, there is an almost infinite variety of categories which can divide us. Unfortunately, once divided, it becomes easy to hate the other group and rejoice at their misfortunes, or desire their cancellation. It also prevents us from seeing the other person as an individual who probably has the same needs, wants, and hopes that we do. As people whom God loves and for whom Christ died.

So, how do we react to this current “cancel culture”?

  • We speak against it, in love but forcefully. Whenever anyone is cancelled, we could be the next in line, just as Niemöller warned. Even if we aren’t targeted, we are diminished by the loss of others’ ideas and works.
  • We avoid cancelling other people we may disagree with. The French philosopher, Voltaire, famously said, “I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
  • When we disagree, make sure we are hearing the other person accurately. Avoid overreacting to what we think they mean, or what their critics tell us about what they mean. Read and think for ourselves. We should follow Martin Luther’s teaching on the Eighth Commandment: “We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, think and speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.” When we give the other person a chance, we may actually learn something!
  • We obey Christ’s command to love our neighbor as ourselves (Luke 10:27), a command echoed explicitly throughout Scripture in both Old Testament “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:18), and New: “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.” (Galatians 5:14). Therefore, even if we completely disagree with what another person says or does, we still treat him or her with respect and love. And if they hurt us by words or actions, we still forgive them, as we have been forgiven (Matthew 6:12-15).
  • We see other people as people, and not as representatives of groups at odds with our particular group. As I stated above, God loves that person just as he loves me, and does not desire that either of us perish. John 3:16 is our guide here: God loved the world (that’s everybody) and gave his Son that we should not perish but have eternal life. If God did that, who am I to decide otherwise?
  • Finally, I remember the poem written by Edwin Markham, who wrote:
          • He drew a circle that shut me out
            Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
            But Love and I had the wit to win:
            We drew a circle that took him in.*

This is hard to do, to take in those who insult and hate me. But I seem to have heard about Someone else who did just that, enduring the hatred, mocking, brutal beatings – and yes, even death by crucifixion – out of love for those he came to save. Our Lord had every reason to cancel all of us, but his love took us in, even when we deserved only his wrath. Let us strive, in love, to cancel the cancellations.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Matthew 5:43; Mark 12:30-32; Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9-10; and James 2:8.

*Edwin Markham, The Shoes of Happiness, and Other Poems, 1913

Male and Female

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27 ESV)

Quick quiz: What do “ze, ne, ve, xe, zir, hir, nirs and eir” have in common? Answer: they are pronouns invented to refer to people who no longer want to be classified in the traditional and so-called “restrictive binary” designations of “he and she.” After all, if your gender identity is fluid, and you can be whatever you want to be on any given day regardless of your physical attributes (and thereby have the right to choose which bathroom you use), why not make up a word to go along with your self-understanding?

When I read articles and hear stories about such developments in our society, and about governmental units threatening fines and lawsuits against those who don’t go along with the most extreme attacks against traditional gender identity and sexuality, I have to ask, “What is our world coming to?”, “Are people crazy to take this seriously?”, and “What do I do about this . . . get angry or learn some new vocabulary?”

The answers begin with setting aside my own feelings and attitudes, because they can be flawed, culturally influenced, and sin-tainted. Instead, I need to go to the Scriptures to see what God has to say on this subject, and let His Word guide both my attitudes and my response. While a full exegetical study of everything the Bible says is beyond the scope and space limitations of this blog, there are a few key passages that are very helpful.

We begin in the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. His final act of creation is summarized in Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” This one verse is loaded with important lessons. First, God is the Creator, and he determines what we are. Second, God made us male and female – the “restrictive binary” categories are from God; he did not make us with the 56 different gender options used by Facebook. His design was for intimate, complimentary companionship  (Genesis 2:18, “It is not good that the man should be alone. I shall make a helper fit for him.”), and for making babies (Genesis 1:28 “Be fruitful and multiply.”).

Third, God made us, whether male or female, equally in His image: “in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” This is important to remember, for no matter how flawed we become through sin and the curse, we still retain some of that image. All people, male and female, have been made in God’s image even if they deny God and His creation categories.

Other biblical passages make it clear that God’s male/female designations are important to Him and are not to be confused: He prohibits cross-dressing (Deuteronomy 22:5); detests homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13, Romans 1:26-27); and limits certain roles in the church to men (1 Timothy 2:12). We do well to hear what God has to say about what it means to be a man or a woman, and about how we express our God-given identity.

But having considered aspects of the Law – that God expects us to uphold his sexual standards – I would like to consider what the Gospel teaches us about what God has done for us in this area. First, inasmuch as we are in God’s image and God did send His Son to die for all of us, we will extend His grace to those who disagree with us. Therefore, even gender-benders are to be treated with love and respect. As Luther said in the Small Catechism, the Eighth Commandment’s prohibition against false witness means: “We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, think and speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.” Christ came to call sinners to repentance, and he died for all of us because we are all sinners; none of us can boast in our own righteousness.

Second, rather than feeling upset and angry with what the world is doing, let us rejoice and proclaim the gift which God has given us in making us male and female. Let us celebrate every biblical wedding, every marriage, every anniversary, and every birth as fulfilments of God’s loving plan for our lives here on earth. And let us agree with God who pronounced as he looked upon his finished creation, which included his “restrictive binary” man and woman, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

There remains one more question regarding gender, and that is: what gender is God? This question was first posed to me back in the late 1970’s when one of my camp counselors questioned our calling God “he.” In her view, that made women second class by identifying God as male. Her assertion shocked me, because everything I had learned about God was that he was our Father, not our “Mother and Father” as the counselor preferred.

As I’ve considered this question over the years (decades) since then, I have come to two basic conclusions. First, God is above and beyond our human concepts of sexuality, and embodies in his person all the good attributes that we normally associate with both men and women. He is strong and powerful, a warrior and a judge (Psalm 7:11). He is also compassionate and nurturing, one who would gather the children of Jerusalem as a mother hen would gather her children (Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34).  God is love, which knows no gender, but is true of both make and female identities. No person, male or female, should feel in the least inferior because God is our Father.

Second, the main reason we use male pronouns and titles for God is because that is what God says about himself. God’s own Word refers to himself as “he, him, and his.” Gender is a grammatical term, and in both Hebrew and Greek grammar, God’s pronouns and titles are male. It is the way he wants us to speak of him. Unlike many pagan religions, our Godhead is one (Deuteronomy 6:4), and not a gathering of male and female deities who give birth to people and more gods and goddesses. He creates outside of himself like a father, not birthing us as a mother. Add to that the fact that Jesus was born literally a male, and you can see that God wanted no confusion about the Trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all spoken of as male in their gender, though again, their qualities embody both male and female goodness.

Amidst our present day confusion and conflict over “gender issues,” we can take comfort and assurance that with God, there is no confusion. Let us rejoice in who God is, and in the fact that he loves and died for all of us, male and female alike.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Genesis 1 and 2; Romans 1

Jesus and Belial, Part 2

In my previous blog, I told about reading a newspaper ad for an “interfaith” prayer meeting to be held online as a way to show, in the sponsors’ words, “the kinship of all Faiths.” I commented on that assertion and request by stating that other than some idealized moral values, such as the Golden Rule, Christianity is not kin to other faiths. Nor are they kin to each other, because their beliefs are not only different, but at times, polar opposites.

In addition, by participating publicly in a joint prayer session, Christians are giving subtle approval to, and acceptance of, those other faiths. We are telling people that all faiths are basically the same, each being one of many paths to God – though the ideas of who and what God is, are so different. As Christians, we must continuously demonstrate that Christ is unique, the Only Son of God, and the One Way to the Father. As Jesus himself proclaimed, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, except trough me” (John 14:6).

Jesus’ claims were very exclusionary, and the rest of Scripture agrees. He said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13). He also said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works” (John 14:9-10). He also told the crowds, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). And later, Peter said of Jesus, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved”(Acts 4:12). Also, Paul proclaimed the exclusivity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: “As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:9). And, of course, this unique claim begins in the Old Testament, when the Lord God commands his people in the First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3 and Deuteronomy 5:7).

Reminded that there is but one God, the God of the Bible, and only one way to him, how then do we live in and respond to the society around us that affirms “diversity” of belief and extols every religion except Christianity? My answer is not new, but hopefully it can encourage you to hold fast to the truth and set aside any doubts that may arise from constant anti-Christian messaging in our culture. Consider the following:

1. Know what the Bible says, and what Jesus taught. By your own study and learning of God’s Word, you can avoid and refute incorrect ideas and charges made against Christians. Did Adam and Eve eat an apple? No, the Bible just says, fruit. Is the Christian faith racist? No; Jesus commanded preaching the Gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:19-20) and Revelation tells us that heaven will have a multitude that no one can count, “from every  nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.” That’s as inclusive as you can get! Know the true Gospel, of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ apart from any works or righteousness we can personally achieve.

2. Don’t believe the movie and television trope that Christianity is a prudish, guilt-ridden group of hypocrites. Notice how many shows make Christians (especially preachers and priests!) the villains. Gangsters wear crosses and serial killers have crosses on their walls and mumble phrases like “Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord!” before doing their evil deeds. Learn what Christians have done to benefit society and alleviate the natural states of poverty and suffering. It’s no accident that so many hospitals have the word “Saint” as part of their name. There’s not enough room here to even list all the blessings Christians have brought about because of their faith, such as written languages, literacy, hospitals, orphanages, disaster relief, nursing, sports (including basketball and volleyball), adult night schools, Braille and American Sign Language, the abolition of slavery, and the  recognition of human worth and dignity. As Christians we have nothing to be ashamed about when we bear the name of Christ.* Paul proclaimed, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. . . ” (Romans 1:16).

3. Remember that the Christian faith is not a fortress faith, living on an isolated island, trying to keep people out. While we are commanded to defend the faith (1 Peter 3:15 says, “. . . always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;”), our faith is not essentially a defensive one. On the contrary, it is meant to be an assertive faith, one which seeks to reach out and proclaim the good news of what God has done for us in Christ. After all, Jesus didn’t say the gates of heaven would shield us, but that the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church (Matthew 16:18). When Jesus came, he didn’t set up a secret  monastery where he and his disciples could hide while he taught them exclusive truths; instead, he went among the people and proclaimed the truth openly. As a result, sinners repented, Pharisees such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea converted, and even Romans believed (Acts 10). Jesus pushed back against the devil’s territory by establishing and expanding the kingdom of God, which he proclaimed had now come in him. As Christians, we must not be content in just “holding our own,” but in working to expand the kingdom into which Jesus called us, through our personal witness, evangelism and missions.

4. Remember the twin Greatest Commandment, affirmed by Jesus himself: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). This means we must love, honor, and worship the true God and hold fast to his teachings, yet at the same time love others as much as we love ourselves – even if those neighbors don’t love us or God. This means we owe every person respect, even if we don’t think he or she deserves it. In the context of cross-faith relations, it means we respect the other person and their attempt to do what is right. We look for non-religious ways in which to cooperate, such as on sports teams, at work, or in school. We help our literal neighbors when they have a need, letting God work in their hearts and minds through our kindly witness. And we explain the true faith in loving and patient ways, so the other person knows clearly who Christ is and what he accomplished for the world. Remember Peter’s words which followed his command to defend the faith: “. . .  do it with gentleness and respect.”

One day a Sikh man with bloody bare feet came to my church office, asking to see Jesus. I spent several hours with him, talking about Christ and taking him to a church where he could see a large crucifix in the sanctuary. After that, I drove him to a nearby Sikh Temple, where he could get food and perform one of his religion’s rites. In all those things, I was bearing witness and showing him personal respect and brotherly love. I even went into his temple and met one of his fellow Sikhs near their altar. But when they offered me what was their equivalent of communion (a ball of sweet wafer material), I declined, explaining that my God is a jealous God, and would not allow me to participate in another religion’s ceremony. Years later, the man showed up again at my office, thanking me for caring for him as I did.

5. Finally, when it comes to prayer, we must absolutely pray for all people, and work for their health, well-being, and their salvation. We should never rejoice in their failures, hurts, or demise. We should never assume a haughty air of religious superiority, for that is what Jesus condemned in the Pharisees, the religious “stars” of their day. They did all the right things, said all the right words, and knew all the right Scriptures, but had no love, so they were like the “noisy gong or clanging cymbal” which Paul decried in 1 Corinthians 13:1. We must remember that it is by God’s grace alone that we have salvation in Christ. We are no less sinful than anyone else, but we are beneficiaries of God’s love and mercy through his only Son, Jesus Christ, and not by our own righteousness or membership in any group. Only because we are in Christ are we saved, and therefore we are compelled to love all for whom Christ bled and died – which is the entire world.

We must love everyone just as they are, but we must love them enough not to leave them where they are, but to show them Jesus in word and deed, that they too may rejoice in the salvation which he alone has brought the world.

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine to upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: John 14:1-14; Acts 4:1-22; 10:34-43; 1 Corinthians 13; Galatians 1:6-10.

*The book, What if Jesus Had Never Been Born? by D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1994, has 275 pages telling the many ways which Christianity has benefitted the world. 

Jesus and Belial

This week I was invited to a prayer session. Actually, everyone was. The newspaper display ad read, “In service to the Elk Grove community, invites you to a virtual Prayer Devotional . . .” The fact that this was not a complete sentence is not what caught my attention; what the ad said next, was: “. . . demonstrating kinship of all Faiths through prayer.”

This ad was placed by the Interfaith Council of Elk Grove, whose members state their purpose as, “Working together – building a just and caring society.” Those are noble goals, even if not everyone seeking justice these days is very caring toward those they oppose. People of every faith, or none, should seek to pursue such goals in both their own lives and that of the societies in which they live. But does such striving indicate the “kinship of all Faiths”? If I invented a religion in which I was the high priest of toad worship, would my religion be part of that kinship? (Don’t laugh – ancient Chinese venerated toads as symbols of wealth and longevity!)

Does a common desire to have a peaceful society where people respect and care for each other mean that all religions and personal faiths are the same? What do the many religions and faiths around us actually believe? Do we indeed share “kinship” with any and all other religions, aside from certain almost-universal moral tenets such as the Golden Rule?

Specifically, considering the newspaper invitation, should Christians pray with non-Christians? To whom are we praying when we pray in unity with believers in other religions?

1. With Hindus, to which god are we to pray: Ganesha (pot-bellied elephant god), Shiva, Krishna, Rama, Vishnu, or Kali, the goddess of death?

2. With Muslims, to Allah, the moon-god? Or Allah the only god, who has no son? Or to Issa (Jesus) who escaped the cross and had Judas die there in his place?

3. With Buddhists, to devas and brahmas that exist in five-layered heavens, or nagas that live in snake form on earth? Or to the impersonal sea to which we return when we die from this illusionary world, like droplets of water?

4. With Mormons, to Jesus, the brother of Lucifer (Satan) who was physically begotten by Adam-god, and was on earth in his journey to godhood, which we can all attain?

5. With Native American devotees, to Bluejay, trickster god of the Chinook; or to White Buffalo Woman of the Sioux; to Taronhiawagon of the Iroquois; to Old Man Coyote of the Crow;  or to another of the dozens of nature gods and goddesses worshipped by the many indigenous tribes of North America?*

6. With Atheists? To matter and energy? Or to material processes that exclude any divine purpose, entity, or intervention?

I could go on, but you get the picture. How can people who have such widely-divergent beliefs pray together? Or as the Bible says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3 KJV). Now, you may say that praying together is okay as long as you have in your own mind the biblical Trinity, but in public prayer, no one can tell what you’re thinking; to others, your participation in such interfaith prayers conveys the message that you are in agreement. Your participation validates their religions as being on an equal footing with Christianity.

This is not an issue of praying for non-Christians; I have done this and will do this at any time. We once lived next-door to a Mormon family that had a meltdown one evening. When the teen daughter broke off part of the railing on the staircase, the father came and got me to “be a witness” to what was going on. After hearing them speak (yell) at each other, I asked that we pray for God’s peace for them and the situation. I certainly did not pray to any Mormon god or concept of god, but called on the true God to bring peace to the family, which he did.

Praying for others is appropriate, but praying with them as if we were one in faith or had just different shades of the same faith, is not. Some may view this as narrow sectarianism, or egotistical pride (“I’m right but you’re not!”), or even racism, since some religions are held predominantly by certain ethnic groups, such as Sikhism among the Sikhs of the Punjab and Fiji. But this is not about personal preferences or arrogance. Christianity is the most universal religion of all, with two billion adherents from “every nation, tribe, and language.” No, this is a statement of obedience to God’s own commands, to come out from the world and be separate from them, worshiping the true God and him only (Matthew 4:10, Luke 4:9).

This division between faith in the true God and other so-called gods was commanded in both Testaments and was the basis of the kosher regulations of the Law. Kosher food rules against consuming meat and dairy products in the same meal, are based on passages such as Deuteronomy 14:21 “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk,” which forbids the mixing of two forms of food. Likewise, Deuteronomy 22:10-11 prohibited wearing a mixture of wool and linen, and plowing with both “an ox and a donkey together” Many have wondered why the Torah prohibits such mixtures, concluding it is a mystery. Personally, I agree with many Christian commentators who believe these were reminders of Israel being apart from the other nations. Not only would they eat and dress differently, they would avoid mixing with other religions.

As Christians, these kosher requirements of food and clothing are no longer binding. Christ has set us free, and as Paul (a very kosher Jew!) taught us, all things are lawful to us in Christ. Whether we eat certain foods or not is not regulated, apart from the effect our public eating or drinking may have on others.

But the principle behind the Old Testament food and clothing regulations still applies, that there be separation between those who follow Christ and those who do not.

When the people of Ephesus became believers, they burned their old magic books (which were very valuable) in order to follow Christ. They didn’t just add Jesus to their pantheon of other gods, so as to cover their bases. They recognized the incompatibility of belief in Christ with any other religion. Theirs was no “interfaith” religion.

“And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.” (Acts 19:17-19)

In 2 Corinthians 6:14-16, Paul wrote: “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?” The point is that you can’t mix Christianity with other religions in the name of “getting along” or seeking fellowship.

So how do we deal with other religions and the people who practice them? Do we attack them, insult them, or just shun them, refusing to talk or work with them in order to remain separate from untruth? Or should we befriend, associate, and cooperate with them in every area except worship and prayer?

I believer the Bible gives us a clear answer to that dilemma, which I will address in the next blog! (Cliffhanger!) So until then:

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Acts 17:16-34; Acts 19; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18;

* To be fair, many tribes believe(d) in the Great Spirit, one overall god, to whom Christians have pointed as representing the true God in their evangelism. The missionaries have quoted Paul in Acts 17:23 “‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.”

Still in This Together

In the previous blog, I lamented the fact that although the common sentiment these pandemical* days is that “We’re all in this together,” our society is anything but “together.” We are divided and set at odds with each other over many issues and identities, causing much animosity and even violence. I responded by suggesting several biblical approaches to mending our divisions, beginning with these four: 1. Remember that we are all related; 2.Remove the log from our own eye; 3. Don’t judge the heart or motives; and 4. Speak the truth in love. Now we continue, with three more ways to help bring us together:

5. Walk together and find common cause. How do we overcome feelings of division? By working together with someone and accomplishing a common purpose. Whether it be in our job/career, in sports, in school projects, in family emergencies, in combat, or just about any common endeavor, when we stand and strive side by side with someone, we create a bond that can overcome real (and artificial) barriers. When you have identified someone as your teammate or helped each other do something, or come along side in times of difficulty, you have in some way become one person.

I think of past barriers and prejudices that have fallen when previous opponents have come together to work in common purpose. Former enemies become allies when a new threat emerges; shared resources provide for common needs, and a shared sense of accomplishment breeds good will. Rather than sitting around and airing grievances, why not work together and celebrate what you have done? After all, “We’re all in this together!” As Amos 3:3 asks, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” If we do agree to walk together, have we not begun to share a common experience and done so peacefully? And will that sense of agreement not grow and bless our relationship?

There is an Arabic expression: “There are salt and bread between us.” It refers to a bond of friendship forged by acts of hospitality, when two or more people have shared a meal. As a proponent of potlucks (and other buffets, but I digress) I have seen the enjoyment and commonality people have when they share their bounty and eat with each other. It’s interesting that after Jesus’ resurrection, two disciples who walked with him on the road to Emmaus didn’t recognize him until he broke bread with them (Luke 24:30-31). How many divisions could we mend by working hard together and then sitting down to share a meal? I think that would help a lot.

6. Forgive as we have been forgiven. An absolutely vital step in breaking down barriers is to forgive the wrongs the other person has done to you. Refusing to forgive not only hardens the wall between you, it also hardens your heart and diminishes your soul. Unforgiveness grows a bitter root in you that colors all your relationships and makes them awkward, painful, and unrewarding. Just seeing the other person causes your stomach to tighten and your mind to close down; you anticipate more conflict and dread what could happen. But when you forgive, you free yourself from the hurt that was caused you. As one of my pastors once wisely said, “When you forgive someone, what that person did loses the power to hurt you.”

While going through a painful divorce, one of my relatives was understandably angry at her soon to be ex-husband. He had in truth done some horrible things to her, for which she was very bitter. As we talked, I asked whether he was unhappy the way things had turned out, and she said no, that he was probably out having a great time. So I asked her how she was doing. She said she was miserable. Then I asked, “So, why make yourself miserable when he was happy?” A few days later, she was able to forgive him and found the spiritual release that forgiveness provides.

In his Sermon on the Mount, our Lord taught us how to pray, giving us what we call the Lord’s Prayer. After saying, “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. .  .” he continued with, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:12, 14-15). Jesus sure made it sound like our own forgiveness depends on our willingness to forgive others, a point he later made explicit in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. In the parable, a servant who owed his master a huge, unpayable amount was forgiven his debt, but then went out and refused to forgive a tiny debt that another servant owed him. When the master learned of his unforgiveness, he reinstated the first servant’s debt and threw him into jail (Matthew 18:21-35).

Colossians 3:13 says, “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” Can’t say it much plainer than that; not only are we obligated to forgive, we are the primary beneficiaries of the forgiveness we give, both for God’s forgiveness of our own sins and for the effect it has on us. There is a genuine freedom we experience when we let go of the anger we harbor and the regrets that go with it, and knowing at the same time that we have likewise been forgiven.

One of the most moving stories of the power of forgiveness is in the book, The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom. If you get the chance, find and read her story (It was also excerpted in Guideposts; you can easily find it online). The short version is that Corrie was talking to a group about her experiences as a prisoner in the Ravensbruck concentration camp for hiding Jews from the Nazis. At the end of her talk, one of the former guards at the camp came up to her and asked her to forgive what he had done. Her struggle and what happened next, are so authentic and powerful, I would cheapen it by trying to summarize it here. Please find it and read it yourself.

7. Pray for the other person. By that, I don’t mean that you should pray that the other person gets hit by a bus or suffers some other horrible fate. You are, after all, to pray for that person and not against him or her. You pray that the Lord touches that person’s heart, whether to open their eyes to the mistakes they are making, or to turn to the Lord for forgiveness, or for restoration of your relationship with them, or for the Lord to bless them and keep them (Not quite what the rabbi prayed in Fiddler on the Roof, “May the Lord bless and keep the Czar – far away from us!”). Not only may God answer your prayer and actually bless the other person, he will also bless you by softening your heart toward that person. God works in your heart, growing your love for the other person to be like his own love: a love that is forgiving, patient, and desiring good for even an enemy.

Jesus addressed this, saying that our prayers are not just for our friends and family. In Luke 6, he said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” You may think, “That’s easy for him to say; those pastoral types always say nice things, but what happens when they are attacked? How do they respond then?” Well, we know exactly how Jesus responded: when they crucified Jesus – after torturing and mocking him, he prayed for his tormentors, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). He who could have called down legions of angels to save himself and destroy his enemies, prayed instead for their forgiveness. That is the same forgiveness the Father gives you and me inspite our our sins which out Jesus on that cross.

There you have it: seven suggestions for helping each other to heal the fractions in our society, so that we may truly be in this “together.” While these steps are all scriptural, they would help anyone and everyone come together and overcome the problems that divide us. And it’s high time we did something, for as Benjamin Franklin once said about the need for unity among the states at the signing of the Declaration of Independence: “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Matthew 18:21-35; Luke 24:13-35; Luke 6:27-36

*Yes, pandemical is a word.

In This Together

“We’re all in this together” is one of the most common mantras you see and hear these days. Newscasts, government health officials, many company websites, and other media remind us that there’s a pandemic going on (in case we forgot) and that it is affecting all of us in one way or another. This statement is meant to urge us to do what we can individually to help where we can because, “We’re all in this together.” It’s a good sentiment, but in many ways, it’s really just wishful thinking. That’s because the truth is, our society/country is so fractured right now that even the word, “together,” seems foreign or out-of-date.

Just name the category, and you’ll find that “we the people” are split into opposing, and even warring, camps. Race, ethnicity, political party, religion (or anti-religion), political philosophy (liberal/conservative/radical/etc.), attitudes toward police, and even sports teams (49ers vs Packers, for example), become defining markers of our identity. Those who agree with us are “in”; anyone else is not only “out,” but even evil for disagreeing. It’s become so bad that communities, friends, and even families are split over these issues. All in this together? Not so much.

So what do we do about it, before we tear each other, and our society/nation completely apart? It won’t be easy, since a lot of damage has already been done to our relationships and unity, but there is a way out, and no surprise, the solution goes back to what God has told us in his Word. Consider:

1. Remember that we are all related. While the events and movements of people throughout history have produced many ethnicities (from the biblical Greek word, έθνος [ethnos]), ultimately, there is only one race: the human race. Every one of us is descended from the same original parents: Adam and Eve. We are told about this common origin, not only in the events of Genesis 1 and 2, but also in specific statements such as,  1 Corinthians 15:45, “Thus it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being'”; Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”; and Genesis 3:20, “The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” Not only are we all descended from the original human beings, but even more recently, we are also all descended from Noah and Mrs. Noah and their sons and daughters-in-law, thanks to the Great Flood. So if we look down on anyone because of their origin, we are actually despising ourselves because our origin is the same. Sure, we may have issues with certain relatives for their attitudes or actions, but we share the same identity with them: they are still family.

2. Remove the log from our own eye. I seem to remember Jesus saying something about this . . . oh yeah: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5). Before criticizing someone else, look at yourself and ask if there is any wrong attitude that needs correcting first. Are you being impatient with the other person (note Jesus calls that person your “brother”: see point #1 above!), overly sensitive to the point that the other person can’t help but offend you, or hypocritical for judging him or her for the very same things you are doing wrong? Your critique of someone else doesn’t carry much weight if that person sees the very same fault in you that you are complaining about. Also, as Jesus pointed out so plainly, our own faults can blind us to reality, distorting our perceptions and causing us to misjudge other people.

3. Don’t judge the heart or motives. We may well see people do things that we find offensive or disturbing. Their actions or even attitudes may upset us, and we may have good, solid, moral reasons for criticizing what they have done. But there is a difference between judging actions and judging motives or character. In his wisdom, God did not create us with mental telepathy or the ability to read minds (though our mothers come pretty close to it), but we try to do it all the time. We don’t understand how someone could say or do something we disagree with, so we jump right away to the conclusion that the person must be crazy, evil, or a mixture of the two. Maybe, if we took a moment and actually ask why he or she did it, we may find that the motive was a good one, and that if we knew all that that person knew, we would do the same.

Years ago, I was driving one night and saw a racoon that had been injured after being hit by a car. I pulled off the road, and stood there trying to decide what to do to help the poor animal (Yes, I’m a sentimental softy.) Suddenly, another car approached, and as I watched horrified, the car swerved toward the racoon and ran over it, killing it immediately. I was outraged and angry at the driver: “How could he do such a horrible thing??!!” If I could have called fire down from heaven (Luke 9:54) on that driver, I would have! Later, when I told my boss about it, he said the driver did a good thing, putting the animal out of its misery. In perspective, he was right, since the animal was too damaged and I would have been injured trying to retrieve it, but even if I could have saved it, I wrongly judged the driver’s motives.

As Martin Luther said in his explanation to the Eighth Commandment: “We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, think and speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.” We don’t know all the reasons someone does something; how can we? Our duty is to begin by assuming the best motives. Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1).

4. Speak the truth in love. We may attribute the best motives to someone, and try our best to sympathize with them, but we may come to the conclusion that they were just plain wrong. (Or as one Far Side cartoon showed it, a psychiatrist is listening to the patient talk and writes in his notebook, “Just plain nuts.”) Then it is our duty to confront what is wrong and state clearly why it is wrong. Being understanding does not mean being okay with wrongdoing. But even as we correct someone, we need to do it in a loving way, not angry or hateful. That person may just be ignorant, or confused. Even if that person’s intent is bad, we can’t win him or her over by attacking or using nasty words.

Paul comes to our rescue in Ephesians 4:15, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.”

Our intent in making such corrections is to win over the wrongdoers, not only to stop what they were doing, but also to help them personally be a better person for their own benefit. 2 Timothy 2:24-26 “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”   Galatians 6:1 “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

And now, once again it’s time to take an break and bump the last three points to the next blog. (I guess once I start, I can’t stop and the blog keeps going and going like the Energizer bunny!*) So, tune in next time to read more ways to overcome our social fracturing! In the meantime,

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Matthew 7:1-5; Ephesians 4:13-16; Luke 9:51-56

*No compensation received for mentioning the Energizer brand. Duracell needs to come up with their own mascot.

 

Pluribus or Unum?

This past weekend, our town celebrated its ethnic diversity by holding its annual Multicultural Festival. It’s a gathering of the community showcasing many different cultures through art, dance, traditional costumes, and (my favorite) a variety of foods. We didn’t make this year’s event, but attended previously, and found it to be fun and educational. Also, uplifting, to see so many different cultures represented here in our town, brought by people from around the world who found Elk Grove to be a desirable place to live. As people who have now lived here for 25 years ourselves, we can understand some of the attractions.

In relation to such rich diversity in our country, I have heard some people, mostly politicians, speak glowingly of such variety, saying, “Diversity is our strength.” But is it?

I believe diversity can be a great strength, if it is paired with another, vital social attribute: unity. This important connection is best expressed in our country’s motto, first adopted in 1782: E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one). This motto, which proclaimed the unity of the thirteen states and their common federal government, is even more relevant today when applied to the makeup of our citizenry. More than two centuries have seen waves of immigrants (some legal, some illegal, and some forced against their will) from all over the world come to this country.

So why is a 240 year-old motto still relevant? Because, if you have only pluribus or unum, you’ve got big problems.

First: If pluribus is all you have, you can end up with factions, rivalries, disputes, and eventually, chaos. Historically, the term, “Balkanization,” was invented to describe such a situation in the Balkan countries (such as what was Yugoslavia), where a number of small countries with different ethnic divisions fought each other. The term is now applied to any country or region that breaks apart into small, contending factions, leaving the whole vulnerable and beset by constant war.

I enjoy studying languages. Besides the intellectual challenge, I like being able to understand other people and communicate in their languages. I wish I could read and understand all 6,500 languages! (Good thing I’ve got eternity ahead to work on it.) I love that there are so many languages, but when everyone speaks a different language only, it’s hard to connect or accomplish anything together. Think of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11); how did God stop that project? By confusing their one common language so no one could understand each other. The project stopped and the people spread out, going different ways. Diversity was not their strength.

I believe everyone ought to be able to speak two or three languages fluently, if for no other reason than to better understand other people and their cultures. But at the same time, I believe we should all share one common language, too, so that we can all better communicate with each other. That way no one is an “outsider” who has to sit out while the rest of us communicate with each other.

When people interact and communicate openly with each other, and desire unity, walls can break down and people whose ancestors were enemies can end up becoming good friends. Think of former enemies of the US: France, England, Germany, Japan, Italy, etc. which are now allies. Think of Lutheran immigrants from Northern Europe who settled in the Midwest, setting up different Lutheran churches on each corner according to language: Swedes, Norwegians, Danes, Finns, and Germans. Over time, those differences diminished and their new, American identity (and English language) took over. Unity brought together diversity. Pluribus needs unum to be compete.

Second, if all you have is unity, the result is a bland sameness and tyranny. Did I say “tyranny”? Yes I did, because the only way you can have complete unity is by forcing it on people who want to think, act, dress, dance, sing, speak, and write in different ways. Whoever is in power sees any divergence from the approved order of things as a threat to society that must be stamped out. Dictators around the world have always suppressed speech, press, religion, and even minority languages to force common allegiance to the state. In the name of unity, they have oppressed anyone who dares step out of line, even committing genocide to force purity of race or religion.

Even if everyone were willing to adopt one common culture and language, how bland and repetitious would society be? Variety is the spice of life, according to one old saying, and there is much truth to it (especially if the spice is jalapeno!); if we all dressed the same, ate the same food all the time, wore our hair (or lack of it) the same, how boring would that be? Gone would be varieties of food, song, dance, art, etc. that have enriched the human race and shown off the great skills and creativity with which people have solved basic human needs over the millennia. That doesn’t sound too exciting to me (as just today I bought some sauerkraut, ate an English muffin, munched on some tortilla chips, and had some fettuccine Alfredo and a Caesar salad. Maybe some ramen noodles for a bed snack?). No, unity without diversity can be trouble; unum needs pluribus to be complete.

So, how does this issue relate to the Church?

The Christian Church has the same tension between unity and diversity that is experienced by the societies in which it operates. Here are some aspects to that:

1. There is the matter of ethnic and racial diversity. While churches can feel the pressures of cultural divisions reflected by their members (refer to the comment above about Lutheran churches in America divided by their languages and ethnicities), ultimately, the Church around the world is and will be eternally comprised of the greatest diversity. The Bible is clear that not only is God the Creator of all people, he also desires all kinds of people to be saved and to dwell with him in eternity.

From Old Testament prophets who foretold all nations coming to worship God on his holy mountain (Isaiah 11:1-10 and 66:20), to Jesus commanding his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20), to John’s revelation of heaven in which he saw “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,” (Revelation 7) God’s desire is to save us. He is not willing that anyone should perish, but that all would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He so loved the world (that’s everybody!) that he gave his only Son, so that whoever (that’s anyone!) who believes in him shall be saved (John 3:16). God’s love is universal; his Church is the largest faith on earth today, and the most diverse in people and cultures from around the world.

One Sunday in 1988 I worshiped at a Lutheran church in Helsinki, Finland. The service was in English (led by an American pastor from one of the Dakotas), but the small congregation was representative of what heaven will be like: worshipers were from Australia, Germany, Finland, and even from Namibia in southwest Africa. One of the Namibians was the mother of that country’s president. We were all different, but united in our faith.

2. Unfortunately, just as countries can be divided, so can the Church. I’m not talking about disputes over what color to paint the church door, or what kind of clothes the pastors should wear when preaching, but about matters of real importance. I’m talking about doctrines and essential practices such as baptism and communion. Over the centuries Christians have disagreed on the Nicene Creed (does the Holy Spirit proceed from just the Father or from both the Father and the Son?), the nature of Christ (God or man or both?), the cessation or continuation of the charismatic gifts, the role of the Church in society, and how we are saved (by grace or by the works which grace enables?). Some baptize infants, others insist on a “believer’s baptism.” Some believe that communion is only a symbol but done by obedience, others recognize that Christ’s true body and blood are received with the elements, and still others say the elements change physically into flesh and blood.

Schisms, anathemas (curses) and even wars have resulted from such divisions, and though settling such issues is important (the Bible commands true doctrine and condemns false teachings), the resulting divisions are a scandal to the world. Rather than presenting a united (unum) message to the world, we have such a diversity of beliefs (pluribus), that you can find some theologian, preacher, or church body that will proclaim just about anything. We see the Balkanization and weakening of the Church.

3. What we need in the Church is unum. Yes, we are a very diverse group of people consisting of people from every nation, tribe, and language. Our cultures and forms of worship vary. (Luther said, “Liberty must prevail in these matters and Christians must not be bound by laws and ordinances. That is why the Scriptures prescribe nothing in these matters, but allow for freedom for the Spirit to act according to his own understanding as the respective place, time, and persons may require it.”) Our songs and hymns vary. Our languages vary. But what must not vary is the Gospel.

For ultimately, we are one people, a royal priesthood, a chosen nation, created and called out by God from darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). We are one, for which Christ prayed in the Upper Room, as he is one with the Father (John 17:21). We are one, because “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

So which should we seek? Pluribus, or unum? The answer for Christ’s Church, for America and the world, and indeed, even for my town, has to be “E pluribus unum.” Let us celebrate our diversity – but in unity, for we have but one God, Creator and Savior of us all. To him be the glory. Amen.

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Genesis 11:1-9, Ephesians 4:1-16, Revelation 7:9-17