Blog - Page 6 of 6 - Jesus Revisited

Jesus and John Wayne

by chaplainshawn | Dec 23, 2020 | Book Reviews

Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation, by Kristin Kobes Du Mez (Liveright Publishing, 2020) might just be the most important book I have read all year. Despite its exceptional scholarship, the book is very easy to read and absolutely captivating from the first chapter. As I read it, I became increasingly ashamed and embarrassed. It was a feeling, I imagine, like an adult might experience after learning a dark secret about parents they always considered to be excellent role models.

For my entire life I have identified as an evangelical and cast my first general election ballot for Richard Nixon. Donald Trump and those who have compromised themselves to provide him cover have produced a change in my political identity to Independent and this work has led me to consider no longer self-identifying as an evangelical.

On one hand, I am thankful that, in the churches I attended, I do not remember ever consciously experiencing most of things the author described. Yet, it is like buying a new car. You may not have seen many similar models on the road before the purchase, but now they seem to be everywhere. I grew up in Southern Baptist churches in oilfield towns in the Rocky Mountain West where the few minorities I encountered were Chinese or Mexican Americans. And they were simply our neighbors and friends.

I had no substantive contact with an African American until I was drafted into the army. The first time I experienced overt bigotry was after I had taken a black friend with me to a church service in South Carolina. When I returned for the evening service, the pastor suggested that my friend might be better served elsewhere. The message was clear.

When the author convincingly connected racism and sexism to evangelicalism, I was surprised and not quite ready to accept her assertion. Then the stories broke about Beth Moore, Russell Moore and African American pastors leaving the Southern Baptist Convention over those very things. This, not long after similar articles appeared displaying photographs of Christian and racist flags, symbols and signs at the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection.

According to Du Mez, “Today some historians place race at the very heart of evangelical politics, pointing to the fact that evangelical opposition to government-mandated integration predated anti-abortion activism by several years.” (p. 38) Apparently evangelicals had mastered the art of pivoting before the coronavirus pandemic. It makes me wonder if my spiritual parents were racist.

I was also blissfully unaware of how completely militarism had permeated evangelicalism; something the author traced back to the 1940s. One of the highlights of my teen years had been attending a Billy Graham crusade. Like most evangelical kids, Billy Graham was one of my heroes of the faith.

When I read these words my heart broke. “In 1969, Graham sent a thirteen-page letter to President Nixon—a letter only declassified twenty years later—offering an array of policy scenarios, some of which clearly abandoned Christian just-war theory and the Geneva Conventions.” (p. 50) The author asserts Graham came to regret his foray into partisan politics. “It was a lesson that most other evangelicals refused to abide.” (p. 47)

I proudly served my country when called and remember joking that I was going to “kill a commie for Christ,” and suggesting, “We should nuke them all and let God sort them out.” Little did I realize I was carrying on another evangelical family tradition. “The Vietnam War was pivotal to the formation of an emerging evangelical identity.” (P. 50) That identity was militarism.

The author cited Anne C. Loveland, American Evangelicals and the US Military 1942-1993, who argued, “To Baptist pastor Jerry Falwell, the US soldier in Vietnam remained “a living testimony” to Christianity, and to “old fashioned patriotism.” A defender of “Americanism,” the American soldier was “a champion for Christ.” (p. 49) Falwell’s Liberty University still boasts that it “trains champions for Christ,” an assertion supported by the number of military chaplains it graduates.

The military and law enforcement have been closely joined with evangelicals since the anti-war and civil rights protests of the 1960s. Du Mez asserts, “A common evangelical heritage and shared theological commitments diminished in significance as Christian nationalism, militarism, and gender “traditionalism” came to define conservative evangelical identity and dictate ideological allies.” (p. 51) Militarism and racism merged with a redefined Christian masculinity and paternalism—a process that would lay the groundwork for the election of Donald Trump.

With the end of the Cold War and the threat of world-wide communist domination eliminated, “Bush ushered in what (Ralph) Reed termed ‘the most conservative and the most pro-family platform in the history of the party.’ It called for a ban on abortion, opposed LGBT rights, and defended school prayer and homeschool rights.” (p. 139)

Looking at the shape-shifting GOP and the news sources it has coopted, there seems to be a move toward embracing Putin, a former member of the KGB, as a means of opposing the current President. (The enemy of our enemy, I guess.)

Three other areas the author reviews as impacting current evangelical thought and willingness to embrace a man like Donald Trump are: home schooling, paternalism and Christian masculinity. The first two have contributed to the victimization and subordination of women and the third has created an inaccurate caricature of Jesus. I’ll let you discover her handling of those topics on your own.

I highly recommend this insightful and scholarly work.

Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez (Liveright Publishing, 2020)

Despite its exceptional scholarship, Jesus and John Wayne is very easy to read and absolutely captivating from the first chapter.

I Am Outraged

by chaplainshawn | Jul 3, 2020 | Just Sayin'

I am outraged! If you are not outraged over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Ahmaud Arbery and other minority group members killed by police or vigilantes you have no heart. If you do not demand police accountability when investigation into their actions warrants, you have no soul. If you condemn every police officer or the thousands who peacefully protest because of the criminal acts of a few, you have no brain.

It is a mistake to attempt to solve complex problems with simple solutions or use tragedy for political gain. Yet there is no shortage of folks trying to do just that. When it comes to interactions between black Americans and police, too often the encounters that end in tragedy begin with unlawful behavior. Yet, that fact is often omitted in demands to abolish or defund the police.

The evidence does not support claims that biased police are systematically killing black Americans. But statistics do show minorities ar disproportionally killed by police. In a July 3, 2020 USA Today opinion piece, Heather MacDonald, asserted, “The African American community tends to be policed more heavily because that is where people are disproportionally hurt by violent street crime. . . In New York City in 2018, 73% of shooting victims were Black, though Black residents comprise only 24% of the city’s population.”

According to the National Institute of Justice report by Anthony A. Braga and Rod K. Brunson, published in 2015, “resulting from a history of exclusion from important economic and social opportunities, residents of disadvantaged urban neighborhoods are primarily minorities and often black. Research has long documented that most violence occurs within racial groups and that black Americans, often victimized by black offenders, experience disproportionately high levels of violent crime.”

Sadly, bad black people are killing each other along with innocent black people. The most egregious example is Chicago, which epitomizes the failure of politics to resolve social problems. We are only six months into the year and there have already been 329 people killed, up 34% over last year. People demand changes in laws when what is needed is changes of hearts. Politics are not the answer. The Democrates claim to be the party of the black voter. Chicago is led by black Democrats. It has a black mayor, black police chief and 40 percent black aldermen. The last Republican mayor left office in 1931 and there are currently no Republicans among the city’s 50 aldermen.

The hypocracy is not confined to Democrats. How can Republicans denounce China for human rights violations while justifying perpetrating violence against peaceful protestors to afford our president a photo-op in front of a church? As outraged as I am by how George Floyd died, I am equally outraged by the state funeral spectacle played and replayed on the evening news.

Mr. Floyd is a dead black man who should not have died, but his death certainly did not warrant the sort of coverage suitable for the likes of Elijah Cummings, Damon Keith, Edith Irby Jones or Toni Morrison, to name only a few. Nor should what happened justify emasculating a police force and ceding a police station, along with several city blocks, to a leaderless mob like we witnessed in Seattle.

Where are the voices of outrage over black on black violence? Where are the voices of outrage over rogue police officers like those who took Floyd’s life? Where are the voices of outrage opposing abortion, but not the supporting women forced to carry babies they cannot afford to feed? Where are the voices of ourage demanding men of all races, who father children out of wedlock, accept responsibility for raising them, or at least, supporting them and instilling sound moral values in them?

Where were the protestors when the government was removing children from parents whose only crime was wanting a better or safer life for them? We all stand guilty. Conservatives demand individual accountability for sin while progressives write laws intended to correct our society’s sins. Nothing really changes. It is all talk, ill-conceived over-reaction, acceptance of moral failure and/or lack of personal accountability. Jesus is the answer, but both sides are yelling so loudly that no one can hear what the Prince of Peace has to say.

Prayer and Fasting to Combat Covid-19

by chaplainshawn | Mar 30, 2020 | Christian Living

As we hunker down in our homes for self-protection, from concern for the more vulnerable, or perhaps simply bowing to social pressures or legal restrictions, many of us feel a need to do something. Yet, we don’t know what we can do to make a difference. We know where the novel coronavirus originated and we are slowly getting a handle on how it is transmitted and who is most affected. But we are still in the dark as to when it will end. Am I alone in wondering if there might also be a why? Could this pandemic be a Divine wake-up call? In many circles, talk of God is considered inappropriate, even offensive, except in times of crisis. If this virus and the resulting economic fallout is not a crisis, what is?

On March 18, 2020 President Trump declared himself a wartime president. On March 30, 1863, another U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln was in the midst of a different kind of war—one that pitted brother against brother. In response to a Senate resolution, he declared a National Day of Prayer and Fasting. That resolution read, in part, “We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!”

The Judeo-Christian traditions have long practiced prayer and fasting as a means of petitioning for God’s intervention. Ezra (Ezra 8:21-23) prayed and fasted for humility, deliverance and protection. Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:3) for courage and guidance. The Ninevites (Jonah 3:5) as a demonstration of repentance. Israel (Judges 20:26) for victory. Jesus prayed and fasted for strength to persevere through testing (Matthew 4:2 and Luke 4:2) and told his followers that when they fasted (Matthew 6:16) it should be done with pure intentions, not for public acclaim. Finally, the apostle Paul and Barnabas fasted before commissioning others for ministry service (Acts 14:23).

Fasting is a biblical way to truly humble ourselves in the sight of God. It is a demonstration of our sincerity and an acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty. And we are not alone. Other religions and philosophies including: Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, Jainism, and Hinduism also practice fasting. Please join me on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020, in praying and fasting for victory and deliverance from this pandemic, wisdom for the world’s leaders, protection for medical personnel and first responders and finally that we will all persevere through this health and economic crisis.

Caution: If fasting is medically ill-advised for you, don’t fast, but please consider praying and forwarding this to others.

(Note: If you want to read President Lincoln’s entire proclamation, you can find it at: http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/fast.htm)

Hope in the Valley of Covid-19

by chaplainshawn | Mar 28, 2020 | Christian Living

“10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91 10-11 | NKJV).

I don’t go in for conspiracy theories, but if I was Satan, this Corona virus pandemic is the way I would mess with the world, especially the church. Furthermore, the actions being taken by the world’s leaders could also be inching us closer to the advent of the Beast. On the other hand, if it is by Satan’s design, it might backfire and give birth to a world-wide religious awakening. It seems that the media is deliberately stoking people’s anxiety. Every time we turn on the news, we see people wearing hazardous materials suits performing routine tasks and ambulances transporting the living to the hospital or removing the dead to make room for the critically ill. Following the September 11th attacks, many people returned to church for comfort and strength. Granted, most of them fell away once the danger had passed. But this time they have no place to turn. Church and other social gathering venues are closed to promote social distancing.

Instead of looking over our shoulders in fear of the virus, perhaps we should pray “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.” But while we eagerly await his return, we can be the church in our neighborhoods. Many of our neighbors must be feeling isolated and fearful. A simple call to check on them and offer assistance would demonstrate God’s love for them and could help ease their fears. Who knows? They might even allow you to tell them why you are concerned about them. I wonder what it must be like for people who don’t have their trust firmly anchored to Jesus, our rock. What is going on in the minds of those who have heard it many times, but repeatedly rejected the hope of the gospel? What are people thinking that have always thought they had no need for a savior? It would seem that with governments and medicine seemingly flying blind fear is taking over.

For people who are uncertain about eternity, there might be a sense that they are truly walking in the “valley of the shadow of death.” When King David felt like that, he found the courage to proclaim, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” His trust was in God’s sovereignty. Whatever God sent his way was for his good. Even though his circumstances might not have changed he was comforted knowing that God was with him as he walked through that valley. Similarly, as Joshua contemplated invading the land God had promised, he was strengthened by this promise, “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 | NIV). God’s promise to remain with his people, no matter what they face, is not limited to famous Old Testament heroes. His promise is for you and me today, as we stand in the shadow of Covid-19.

Fear causes worry and anxiety. The apostle Paul encourages us not to surrender to it. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 | NIV). Prayer may not change our circumstances, but prayer and trust in God will certainly calm our fears. God wants us to rely on him one day at a time. Corrie Ten Boom cautioned, “Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength-carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” God will help us through today if we trust him with today and leave tomorrow for tomorrow. He’ll be there tomorrow, too. Jesus said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today” (Matthew 6:34 | CEV).

Worry demonstrates a lack of faith. When we worry we are not trusting God. Worry excludes God. Prayer invites God into our circumstances. Do you know you are saved? Do you know where you will spend eternity? If your answer to both is “Yes” but what you are seeing and hearing on the news is raising your anxiety level, I would only ask one question. How can you trust God for your hereafter if you do not trust him for the here and now? The apostle Peter encourages believers to, “Cast all your anxiety on him (Jesus) because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 | NIV). You can know you are saved and know where you will spend eternity by placing your faith in Jesus. And when this is over, uniting with a church that teaches justification by grace through faith. That just means that you are saved through faith in Jesus plus nothing else. For those without Jesus as both Lord and Savior, the future is uncertain. But for everyone who has placed his or her hope and trust in Jesus, a better world awaits.

It seems fairly obvious many of our friends and neighbors are panicking out of fear. But believers not only have have no reason to fear, we should be shining the light of hope into the surrounding darkness. “Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life. Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope” (1 Peter 3:15 | CEV). Jesus is not only death’s victor, but he is death’s loophole as well. He told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die . . . ” (John 11:25-26 | NIV). We cannot add a day to our life. God knows exactly how many we have left. If we have surrendered our life to Jesus, there is no need to worry about anything, including dying. The apostle Paul faced his certain death with these words. “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 | NIV). It doesn’t matter whether we live or die, either way we win.

Our concern must be for the lost. Instead of worrying about ourselves we need to be praying for those around us who do not know Jesus. More than ever we ought to be sharing the gospel (over the phone or from a healthy distance, of course). We should join together in asking God to provide wisdom and protection for our nation’s leaders, those treating the infected and those searching for an effective vaccine. Don’t panic. God is in control. Our final prayer should be that from this pandemic a flame of revival will be kindled. Pray that America’s hearts and eyes will return to the one in whom we claim to trust and whose blessings we often invoke. Rather than trusting in surgical masks and the government there is no better advice than this from Billy Graham. “Make sure of your commitment to Jesus Christ, and seek to follow Him every day. Don’t be swayed by the false values and goals of this world, but put Christ and His will first in everything you do.”

Pascal’s Wager, A Sure Thing?

by chaplainshawn | Jan 9, 2020 | Christian Living

Is there any bet that is truly a sure thing? Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) believed what has been called Pascal’s Wager was a sure thing when it came to helping others come to faith in God. He was a French mathematician, physicist, and Roman Catholic theologian who opined, “Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. The cure for this is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good men wish it were true and then show that it is.”

As only a genuine math geek might do, he devised a formula, Pascal’s Wager, to demonstrate the wisdom of placing one’s faith and belief in God. His “wager” has been closely examined and found to be flawed for reasons I will outline and briefly review below. As a result, many people, me included, recommend against using it for evangelism. Still, I believe that its logic works well as a conversation starter that may lead to sharing the gospel.

Pascal’s Wager was contained in his Pensées, published posthumously in 1670. Apparently discounting the work of Anselm, Aquinas and Descartes, among others, he chose not to prove God’s existence. Instead, he argued that a person had nothing to lose and everything to gain if they simply believed God exists, whether or not he actually does. As we shall see, his rationale may be flawed, but it stands as an early, if not the earliest use of decision theory under uncertainty, which holds that both the environment and the individual determine the outcome of a person’s decision or action(s).

His rationale can be summarized like this. If you do not believe in God and you are correct, you lose nothing. If you believe in God and you are wrong, you gain hope and a better here and now, but lose nothing in eternity. If you do not believe in God and you are wrong, you spend eternity in hell. But, if you believe in God and you are correct, you gain a better here and now plus heaven for eternity. Regardless of the criticism it has received, Pascal’s Wager, along with Anselm’s Ontological Argument may be the two most famous arguments in the philosophy of religion. The wager may lead one to accept some type of theism, but not the Christianity Jesus taught and underscored with his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).

Pascal’s wager only considers two options, belief or disbelief in his God and the afterlife he imagines. Others include: belief in a different god or gods. Just as the possibility of infinite gods may exist, an infinite number of potential afterlife benefits and penalties may also exist. There is also agnosticism leaning toward belief and agnosticism leaning toward disbelief in Pascal’s God or other gods, along with any associated afterlife loss or gain.

Agnosticism adds an additional problem by leaving one to wonder how much of a “lean” toward belief is necessary in order to receive a benefit. Pascal’s wager potentially rewards even a slight lean toward belief. The cost of faith (eg. worship, study, prayer, meditation, etc.) is not considered in potential loss if Pascal’s God or other gods do not exist. Is the salvation obtained by belief a gurantee (eternal security) or can it be lost? Finally, perhaps some alternative between heaven, hell or final death exists (eg. reincarnation, a spirit world, a second-chance state of existence ).

After considering just these few criticisms, the most obvious unanswered question resulting from Pascal’s wager is this, if you believe the God of Christianity exists, is that belief sufficient to gain the promised reward(s)? Pascal’s unstated assumption is that belief in God guarantees those who believe in him a place in heaven. However, from a New Testament, Christian perspective the answer is a resounding, “No.” Jesus is not included in his argument. His assumption contradicts what Jesus said about access to God. “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6 | NIV)

People can come to an awareness of God through observing nature. Apostle Paul, said it like this “since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” That passage, Romans 1:19-20| NIV, describes what theologians call general revelation. Many people have expressed belief in God upon seeing a beautiful sunset or other example of beauty or complexity in nature. But does that meet the standard for justification?

Certainly, faith in God is a good starting point since “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 | NIV). God rewards those who look for him by drawing them to his son. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:44 | NIV) According to the writer of the Book of James, belief in God, at best, places you among a select group destined to spend eternity separated from God. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” (James 2:19 | NIV)

Christians believe faith in Jesus is sufficient and absolutely necessary for salvation. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 | NIV)

Belief in Jesus gets you in the door. Faith, however, is proven by what you do once you believe. The fruit you produce demonstrates that your faith is genuine. And the first fruit you must demonstrate is repentance. Repentance is turning away from what the world offers to begin living the way Jesus did and start doing those things he instructed his followers to do. If we are truly sold out to Jesus, God may perform miracles through us. But, even if the fruit we produce is less flashy, we will always produce fruit consistent with our faith. (John 15:4-5)

Jesus told his followers to love “the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” (Matthew 22:37 | NIV) And it was not just any God, it was his father. “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31 | NIV) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 | NIV) Jesus is not only God’s son, he is fully man and fully God, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30 | NIV)

Jesus says if you love him you will do what he says. (John 14:15 and Luke 6:46)) Belief in Jesus is not passive. It carries great cost. His followers are expected to deny themselves (Luke 9:23) and surrender complete control to him. They are expected to love him more than they love anything or anyone, including themselves. (Matthew 10:27, Luke 14:26, and 14:33)

We can not simply sit on a church pew listening and critiquing the Sunday sermon. We have been charged to love God, love others and make disciples. We are expected to walk the talk. In James 2:18, the author says, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” (NIV) We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. But once we have been saved or justified, we are expected to walk in the footsteps of Jesus—to be sanctified. If people do not look at you and at least see a faint glimmer of the one you profess to be following, it may be time to reevaluate whether you are a genuine follower or one in name only.

If you are Jesus’s disciple you have been charged with making other disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Pascal’s Wager isn’t as helpful in doing that as John 3:16, but it may be used to open a discussion on what it means to follow Jesus. If so, you might ask a person,”Do you have any spiritual beliefs?” If they appear to be open to a discussion of God, then, using Pascal’s logic, you can build from there.

Lessons From the Seattle Seahawks

by chaplainshawn | Jan 1, 2020 | Just Sayin'

We can all take three lessons from the Seattle Seahawks. As a Seattle Seahawks fan I admit experiencing a twinge of deja vu during the last minute of the last game of the 2019 regular season. Being denied a score from within arms length of the prize with Beast Mode on the sidelines should have been a no-brainer. After all we had seen that movie before in Super Bowl 49 against New England. But, as it turned out expecting a different result would have been as unwise as betting on an instant replay and hoping for a different outcome. We lost the game by a matter of inches.

I am not a coach and didn’t play football well, so it would be presumptuous for me to criticize the coaches or players. But I know the 12’s have been excited and entertained every time they took the field. And it still isn’t over. We are fortunate to have them in our house. (I just wish we were playing our next two games there.) We’ll have to wait to see how it turns out in the future. In the meantime, I think there are three faith lessons we can take away from the Seahawks.

The first is there are four quarters in a game. No player knows for certain that they will play them all. But they can’t wait until the final fifteen minutes and expect everything to turn out ok. They need to know the playbook, take the field in shape and give it their best effort on every down. In life, too many of us wait until the final quarter to get serious about Jesus. Unlike pro football, it doesn’t matter when we start. We may never be a star player but we are always in the game and will always be on the winning team.

The second is playing to your strength. The guys on the sideline and practically everyone wearing blue and green in the stands anticipated Wilson would feed the Beast. You could just sense redemption in the air. Lynch was brought back for just that scenario. He has a reputation for getting stronger the more carries he has and had averaged more yards per carry than the Hawks needed to win. Instead, they bet on Wilson’s passing. As they did against the Patriots, they relied on him, alone.

Under pressure, he unsuccessfully threw four passes at a crowded end zone. Three missed the mark. The fourth was caught but spotted inches short of the goal line. With no more downs there were no do-overs. It’s the same in life. We can’t make it on our own. If we try, we will fall short of the prize with no second opportunity. Jesus must be both lord and savior in our lives. In exchange he provides us with the power to win, even though we may face setbacks along the way. Trusting anything or anyone else is not playing to our strength. It is playing to lose.

The third is situational awareness. Delay of game cost the team five yards. Stopping short of the goal cost them the game. Where are you? Is your faith in Jesus head faith or heart faith? Do you just know about Jesus or do you know and trust him with every facet of your life? If it is head faith only, you are going to miss the mark by about 18 inches, the distance between your head and heart. How do you measure up? The clock is ticking. Run or pass?

Christmas Without Jesus?

by chaplainshawn | Dec 7, 2019 | Christian Living

It’s the Christmas season, a time for family traditions. One of our family’s long-held Christmas traditions is watching Frank Capra’s, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore. It was released in 1947, based on the short story and booklet, “The Greatest Gift,” written by Philip Van Doren Stern in 1939. Because no publisher would take it, it was self-published in 1943. It later appeared in Good Housekeeping magazine. If you haven’t seen it, the movie tells the story of George Bailey, a young man who had his heart set on a life of travel and adventure, which he was forced to abandon to take responsibility for the family business when his father died. Resulting from his forgetful uncle’s mistake, the business faced bankruptcy and George seemed destined to be punished for something he didn’t do. Caught up in what seemed to be a hopeless situation, George decided he was worth more dead than alive. He decided to kill himself by jumping into the river on a cold, December night. He was saved by Angel Second Class Clarence Odbody, who showed George what the town would be like if he had not been born.

This year, as we anticipated watching the movie again, I began thinking about what the world would be like if Jesus had never been born. While considering the question, I reached out to friends and family for their input. Few responded, but my goal was achieved. You see, I had an ulterior motive. I hoped the people I cared about most would be reminded that Jesus not only changed them; he changed the world. Blog space is limited so I am keeping this short. For a more in-depth analysis, I have been told, What if Jesus Had Never Been Born? By D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe (Thomas Nelson, 1994) is the best available analysis. The authors claim, “Jesus Christ, the greatest man who ever lived, has changed virtually every aspect of human life – and most people don’t know it.”

Just to get you thinking I have provided the first few of his influences that came to my mind.

Established the Church. Without Jesus, there would be no Christian Church and the good it has produced. He built it and remains its head. (Colossians 1:18) Matthew 16 records Jesus’s promise that the gates of Hades would not overcome it. He did not promise Satan would not try to destroy it. We see evidence that he continues his battle against it today. But the Church marches on, even though membership, according to some, is dwindling. His followers, not the big brick building at the end of the street, are the Church. It consists of the those who have “taken up their cross” to follow him, no matter what. History teaches life was certainly no cake walk for first century believers. Loss of relationships, property and even their lives was not uncommon, yet the Church continued to grow. That persecuted little band, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, changed the world. The story of the early Church is contained in the Book of Acts, written by Luke, a first-century physician-historian. Secular historians concur. According to the Washington Times, “History shows that the Christian Church has brought about more changes for the advancement and benefit of people than any other force or movement.” (Scott S. Powell, “The Joy of the Savior’s Birth,” December 24, 2017).

Affirmed human dignity. Christians hold that humans are God’s image bearers. As such all human life is sacred. Jesus affirmed human dignity, taught non-violence, and commanded his disciples to love others as we do ourselves. He valued children, modeled treating women as equals and viewed all people as worthy of God’s grace and love. Prior to the sixth century, babies were disposable. That changed in the West with Christian Emperor Justinian whose Law Code declared child abandonment and abortion were crimes. According to Alvin Schmidt, The spread of the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire correlated with a drop in infanticide practiced on baby girls. (How Christianity Changed the World (Grand Rapids:Zondervan, 2001, p.111) Christians continue to fight for equality of races and sexes. Christian women led the fight against child labor and pressed for women’s suffrage. It was largely the influence of Christians that led to the end of the slave trade, first in England and then in the United States. Most Americans are familiar with, “Amazing Grace,” which is often played at funeral services, but many do not know it was written by John Newton an Anglican clergyman and former Atlantic slave trader. Finally, we should not forget Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister and icon of the American civil rights movement.

Established systems of healthcare, education and welfare. As early as the Middle Ages, the Church built and staffed educational institutions, healthcare facilities and provided other social services. Christians were the first to extend educational opportunities to both boys and girls of all socio-economic levels. Schmidt reported that Martin Luther pressed the Catholic Church to provide an education to ordinary people; not just priests. Further, he observed, Christians founded the first universities, and schools for the blind and the deaf. The first 100 American universities had Christian roots. Jesus healed the sick and Christians followed his example. According to Schmidt, in 325, the Council of Nicaea proclaimed that every city with a cathedral should also have a hospital, which also served as shelters for the poor. Clara Barton was an evangelical Christian and the International Red Cross was founded by Christians. During the Great Depression, Angelus Temple, a Foursquare Church located in Los Angeles, fed and clothed over 1.5 million people. Christians respond to their lord’s expectations and it makes a difference. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:35-36).

Shaped the United States. As many as 50 of the Declaration of Independence signatories were Christians. In July 1775, the Continental Congress called for a day of prayer and fasting. The inauguration of George Washington included a two hour worship service in Congress. In 1863, in the midst of a Civil War, President Lincoln declared another day of prayer and fasting that included the following words, “. . . it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.” So far, we remain one nation under God.

Ethics and morality. The best way to look at this topic is through the words of Jesus, himself. Here are a few of his quotations that continue to influence even the secular world:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:1-2).

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44).

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31).

“Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).

“. . . do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well” (Matthew 5:39-40).

“Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Luke 20:25).

“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).

Demonstrated God’s character, restored our relationship with him and gave us hope. Among other titles, Jesus was called Immanuel, God with us. In John 14, the Apostle Philip asked Jesus to show him the father. “Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’’’? Jesus wept at the grave of his friend Lazarus. No matter what we face God is there too, his heart hurting with ours. He shares in our suffering. He loves us so much he was willing to die for us. “This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God” (1 John 4:10, The Message). Jesus’s death reconciled us to God making us citizens of his earthly kingdom and his resurrection opened the door for us to enter the heavenly one. Believers do not have life after death. We have life after life in abundance. Following Jesus may not be all unicorns and rainbows, but it is characterized by a peace that passes all human understanding because we know that God is with us.

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