Troubled by a front page headline

"Rival Christians unite to restore holy site"

When my eyes caught a headline on the front page of our local newspaper, The Bend Bulletin, I cringed. Two words- "Rival Christians" ought to be an oxymoron. These two words expose one of the weaknesses of organized (Can we truly call it organized?) Christianity. 

Three major Christian communities have oversight of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the old city of Jerusalem. Quoting the article, "Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Roman Catholic communities "share- and sometimes spar over - what they consider Christianity's holiest site..." From time to time we read about the competitive spirit between these groups. A church guard, Farah Atallah was quoted, "Sometimes they punch each other." I, myself, remember the report of an actual brawl between monks and priests back in 2008. 

Finally, with the site in disrepair the three groups have agreed to cooperate in order "to save the dilapidated shrine... from falling down." The cost for the 3,4 million dollar renovation is to be covered by each group contributing one-third. A Greek bank has also contributed 50,000 euros ($57,000) for scaffolding in exchange for having their name "emblazoned" on all the machinery.

I have visited this site when touring Israel, However, on our last tour, I asked our guide to eliminate it from the itinerary due to the perpetual almost chaotic environment. Even if this is the exact site for Jesus' burial, I find it repulsive due to the noise and the display. Yes, I admit to being a simple Protestant. I am not accustomed to all the ritualism and the incense etc.

There is another site outside the old City called "The Garden Tomb". It may not be authentic, but one can't help but appreciate the contrast between the two sites. In place of noise and the competitive spirit under the Church of The Holy Sepulcher, here in the Garden there is quietness. The noise of the outside world is absent for the most part. Instead of competition between Christian groups, everybody is welcome. Denominational barriers are absent as each tour group gathers to share Communion and wait their turn to visit the empty tomb. The only words one reads is not the name of a sponsoring bank, but "He is not here for He has risen."

I write today not to promote the Garden Tomb but to share my grief when I read those two words, "Rival Christians". Oh, how we have grieved our Lord and savior! He, who prayed for us- for everybody who would believe the Good News. Jesus prayed that we would be one even as He and the Father are one. When Christian brethren have become rivals, we deliberately ignore, even deny, Jesus' prayer.

Having mentioned the Good News, I want to reiterate why it is good news. Jesus Christ, fully God, became one of us. He lived the perfect life we can never live. He died in our place, paying the debt we owe and can never pay. He defeated death by rising from the tomb. Thank God, the news doesn't end with the resurrection, as powerful as that is. Jesus returned to heaven where He is seated in the place of honor, demonstrating God's justice has been satisfied. But, let us never forget that Jesus also sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us and to comfort and empower us so that we can truly love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

It doesn't get any better than that.

So let us also pray that we who claim to follow Jesus will be one in faith and in our actions toward one another. By this the world will recognize that Jesus came to live among us and that He truly did rise again and is living through His followers today.

A Mile Wide and an Inch Deep

  

Now that I am an older man and have put in “my time” as a pastor, I hope I have earned the right to share my evaluation of the state of the evangelical church in America today. I remember those euphoric days back in the 80's when we were the Silent Majority, or so we claimed to be. Evangelicals, or at least those who claimed to be “born again” Christians, were no longer a small, fringe movement. We had become a political cause to be reckoned with, and we were going to change the world. We were the Kingdom of God unleashed to save our culture and take back our “Christian Nation.”

Ah, but were those really the best days of the Church? Or, had we lost our vision and replaced our biblical mission?

In cleaning out the old files that I mentioned in the previous blog I discovered an article by Joseph Bayly that had been published in the January, 1984 edition of Eternity magazine. Joe Bayly was, in my opinion, a prophet. He had the deep perception to see what others missed, and his writings often challenged our corporate Christian conscience. Writing thirty two years ago, Bayly’s article serves as a clarion call to the contemporary Evangelical church in America. 

In the editorial, Bayly shared a brief story about a man who had visited Dachau concentration camp in Germany. Reflecting on the Holocaust, the man asked an Episcopal priest, John Westerhoff, “How could this have happened in the land of Luther and Bach?”

Westerhoff responded, “That is easy to understand, The Christian church had become concerned with the here and now; it had lost its vision and for forgotten what the Bible teaches- ‘without a vision the people perish.’ But, Hitler remembered and gave our people a vision.”

For emphasis Bayly repeated those words, “The Christian church had become concerned with the here and now; it had lost its vision.” Bayly’s next words reflect his prophetic gift: “Is it possible that those fateful words will be used by some future commentator to explain the current conservative Christian situation in the United States?” 

Please bear with me as I share just a few more of Bayly’s prophetic words.

“The American church is a ‘here and now’ church…" he said, " Pie in the sky has long since been replaced by pie on the plate, godliness by success. Jesus said, ‘Fear not little flock’; we say, ‘We’re a big flock now, a significant force in American politics, who’s afraid?’ Jesus said, “In the world you shall have tribulation’, we say, ‘In the world you shall have prosperity.’ Jesus said, ‘I have overcome the world’; we say, ‘We have overcome the world.’”

I write with deep frustration because I dare not share more insights from Joe Bayly for fear of becoming too verbose. But, I am one of those “future commentators” Bayly spoke about thirty two years ago. Contemporary Evangelicalism has lost it biblical vision. We are like a river that is a mile wide and an inch deep. Sound, biblical theology has been replaced with “feel good” philosophy. The Gospel Paul preached and eventually gave his life defending has been replaced with a prosperity gospel promising its followers a really good life here and now.  Instead of reflecting the meekness Jesus spoke of and exhibited, we are proud and assertive.

I am deeply alarmed by this current presidential election cycle. I struggle, when proclaimed Evangelical pastors and presidents of Evangelical colleges publicly throw their support for a candidate that, from my perspective, shares none of our biblical values. When I read a quote from a Charismatic Evangelical pastor saying “Donald Trump may be one of us,” I cringe. How, under God’s heaven, can any person who boasts" he has never asked God for forgiveness" be one of us? When did repentance fall out of our vocabulary? God values humility. Trump is the epitome of narcissism. He claims to love everybody, especially Evangelicals. In reality, I believe he only loves himself.

Am I angry? Yes! Sometimes, I sense it is a righteous anger. Other times, I confess it is just carnal. I need to pray for each our candidates to personally experience the power of the gospel. May they have the courage to do what is right, and not just follow their party lines. My deepest frustration is not with any of the present candidates; it is with those Evangelical leaders who claim to be followers of Jesus, yet they publicly support a candidate that reflects few or none of the values of Jesus. 

Yes, I grant them (and you) the freedom to vote as you choose. But, to say this candidate is “one of us” is absurd.

Our Christian forefathers recognized there are two cultures- two cities as they described them: The City of God and the City of Man. This present world and all it represents is not my home. I am an alien passing through. I am an immigrant trying to make this world better as long as I live here, but my heart and my passion is for the world to come. Meanwhile, that blessed hope must spur me on.

As much as I love pie, my favorite pie will not be enjoyed here but “pie in the sky” to come when I am finally home.