I'm for Love: Reflections on Rob Bell, Marriage Equality, and Evangelicalism

I’m for marriage. I’m for fidelity. I’m for love: whether it’s a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, or a man and a man, and I think the ship has sailed, and I think the Church needs to just...this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are (Rob Bell).

In a recent interview, the popular Evangelical figure, Rob Bell made his views on marriage equality pretty clear. It’s no secret that I’ve been outspoken in opposition to just about all things Evangelical and it’s also no secret that my stance on marriage equality from a theological perspective is one of love and grace, for the affirmed and the opposed. In other words, it’s the cross, not the left or the right.

I write today, not out of contention or affirmation of a position, but out of respect for bold, daring, and sound theological practice. Bell’s interview, not the least of which is his pro-marriage statement, makes me less apprehensive of my Evangelical roots and inspired to reclaim the term.

The Dialect of Praxis and my approach to faith have always had the intention of being conversational. I’m at the same beggar’s gate with the Baptists and the billionaires, I kneel before the cross of Jesus Christ along with Evangelicals, and I am redeemed by grace along with every sinner (read human being) on this planet. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is everything!

In turn, if I’m a lot Lutheran and a little bit Evangelical because I actually believe in the “communion of saints” and the “holy catholic (universal) Church,” so be it. I’m not here to fight anymore about which Christians have good theology and which ones don’t because God’s grace is sufficient for that too. Here’s to questions, here’s to conversation, here’s to humility, here’s to grace, and here’s to the openness of change within oneself. Hold to your convictions, wherever they may land, but be prepared for the mysteries of God to change the path you think you’re walking. “Love beats the demon” and “love wins.”

   

Second Chance Buffet: Why I do What I do

I’ve been on the ride of my life lately speaking to different groups about what it means to be a Lutheran. It’s been a little different every time I’ve stood before a group talking about Law and Gospel, being sinners and saints, good theology, bad theology, and the liberation of the cross.

The fact is, I talk a lot! This trait comes in handy when you’re going to give hour long talks on anything. But, there are a lot of things I’d never talk about like I discuss being a Lutheran Christian in the 21^st Century. I’ve got passion, hope, and excitement; which counteracts my infamous cynicism and raw and gritty expectations.

No one has to convince me to tell people God’s grace is sufficient; you’d actually be hard pressed to stop me. It’s not because I’m a good person because I’ll never be that apart from the grace of God. I talk about this like I just went to Wrestlemania for the first time (April 7^th here I come!) because the grace of God has drawn me to the cross through broad experience of all kinds. I talk about grace, and Jesus, and the cross, not because it makes me a better person, not because I think other people will suddenly become saints, but because it is liberation.

There isn’t a human being on this earth that lacks the need for liberation or the desire for something real. I’m a Lutheran, this is me – whether at the bar or the altar – my life has been changed in such a way by the grace of God that I can’t get any more real than second chances that go beyond second chances. This is why I do what I do, this is why I love what I do, and this is why I will never stop proclaiming the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Jesus died for YOU, no matter who you are, no matter whether you care, whether you want it or you don’t, it’s been done.

I’m telling you as a friend or a stranger, your sins are forgiven on account of the cross of Jesus Christ. Go in peace and serve the Lord.

Crucifying Bad Theology

 “You can run on for a long time, but sooner or later God’s ‘ill cut you down.” Christ died even for us. Why does good theology matter? Is it because we have books like unChristian giving us statistics of a failing Church? Is it because we have authors like Kenda Dean exploring a moralistic therapeutic deistic culture? Absolutely. We need good theology if young people are abandoning the Church because the very thought of Christians equals bigoted hypocrites. We need good theology if all that matters about God is whether or not we are good people. More than that, we need good theology because it changes lives.

How does good theology change lives? Lutherans have had good theology since Martin Luther decided to deconstruct the core of the Church. If it doesn’t point us to the cross and the work of Christ, it doesn’t matter. Perhaps it is easy to take this for granted or to appeal to experience to “find God,” but good theology is life-changing precisely because it cannot be found and it does not rely on human experience. That’s not to say it doesn’t cause experience. Good theology is life-changing because it finds the lost and leads the blind. Good theology reconstructed in the redemption of the cross of Jesus Christ.

“You can run on for a long time, but sooner or later God’s ‘ill cut you down.” Christ died even for us. What does it mean to have good theology? Our academic and practical theologies have no separation. Good theology is put into praxis. Beyond that Good theology has the crucified God at its crux. Theology is nothing apart from the work of the cross. Our redemption lies within the crucifixion and our reconciliation is rooted in resurrection. The law tells us that God will cut sinners down; conjunctively, the Gospel tells us Christ died even for us.

Good theology matters because the gracious work of Christ is at its core. It is life-altering for people who’ve never known the grace of God or for people who have been blinded by bad theology (which does not point to the work of Christ through the cross). Guilt may be a more powerful motivator than grace, but it doesn’t make it good. Where, then, do we go from here? We go where God is found, where we are led, to the foot of the cross. If you’ve never known the grace of the cross of Jesus Christ or you’ve been trapped by the guilt and shame of piety that puts the role of justification in your hands; by the work of God alone, through the cross of Christ alone, grace is sufficient for you.   

  

21st Century Theologians of the Cross: Workshop Proposal (alpha stage)

Hello my dear readers,

Within the next few months I will be teaching a workshop at a Youth Ministry convention and I want to share my course proposal with you all. Below, you will find my initial proposal of the questions and topic of focus, I invite you to provide your feedback and thoughts on the questions. Over the course of the next weeks and months, I will beta test my workshop content with you in order to craft the best final product for the audience. 

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If you’ve read recent books and articles about churchgoer statistics, or Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, you may be feeling a little discouraged. Whether the Church is the loudest voice within culture or it’s losing steam, we have theology with a powerful point! Christ died for us and God is found at the cross. Today, we have more than a few options, we can ignore MTD and the decline of church attendance, we can fight the changes, we can join the trends, we can accept fate, or we can teach the next generations something real and relevant.

In this workshop, we’ll explore questions such as:

What does it mean to be Lutheran?

Why does Lutheranism matter for youth today?

How does good theology change lives?

Who needs the Theology of the Cross, anyway?

When am I ever going to use this boring theology stuff?

Where do we go from here?

In a culture of challenging church trends, youth and Youth Workers are faced with some tough questions about the relevance and effectiveness of theology. The Lutheran Theology of the Cross has powerful answers to these 21^st century questions, and even more powerful questions for us.

A conversation on Salvation

Is sanctification part of salvation?

Following the rabbit trail that began here.

From my viewpoint, as a Lutheran, salvation (rescue) and justification (pardon) are one-in-the-same. Whereas, sanctification is the prompting of God's grace as a result of justification (our salvation). As I understand it, sanctification is not salvific (saving) but it is a God-prompted response to salvation. Continuing the conversation started elsewhere, is sanctification part of salvation?

Lenten Devotional 09: Eating Straw; Exegeting a Difficult Word

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Scripture reading: The Epistle of James 1:12-18

What is there to say about the Epistle of James? It’s canonized scripture written as New Testament Wisdom Literature and, like most Lutherans, I don’t care for it. Once upon a time ago, I considered it the magnum opus of the New Testament; so, why the change of mind? The Doctrine of Grace and Sola fide (by faith alone) challenge this text.

Arguably, there may be redeeming qualities in this work that Luther called, “an epistle of straw.” According to Luther, “St. James’ epistle is really an epistle of straw…for it has nothing of the nature of the gospel about it.” The fact that the author of the book of James says we are not justified (Gk: dikaioō) by faith alone is disputable (the epistle is Antilegomena). Disputation aside, I read with you, and exegesis has pulled redemption from this text.

“Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (1:17). The author’s attribution of God being the giver of all things is sound. Our pericope encourages perseverance amidst trials (1:12). It’s a proclamation of hope (albeit, a weird one, with that crown of life business). God is not tempting us that is the sinful nature, which has bonded the human will (vv. 13-16). Grace is the work of God (v. 17). Our justification was his purpose (v.18).

Unlike this epistle, the Gospel of Jesus Christ points to the work of God through the grace of the cross. In faith alone believe that we are justified (saved) by grace alone, through the work of Christ alone, and that glory is to God alone; according to scripture alone (adaptation of the Five Solas). James (whichever one he may be) composed a disputable epistle, but it’s not always easy to reconcile with the word of God (biblical text). May the Lord be gracious to us as we debate the difficult parts of the word.

Holy and Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; for those who love the work of James, may you bless them through it and for others, like me, who refute the words of James, reveal their redemptive purpose, and be gracious to us. Sometimes, the words of your scriptures can be difficult, when that occurs, give us discernment, wisdom, and humility. May we reside in the grace of your cross and know that you are the Lord, our God. You are revealed in Christ and, yet, you are mysterious. We are humbled at the foot of your cross. Amen.

On Christian Religion, Jesus, and Scripture: Why Religion Matters

“‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Mt. 5:17, NRSV).

One cannot preach grace with a machinegun for a microphone.

This past week, twelve million Christians debated over a video that says Jesus>Religion. Jefferson, the Spoken Word creator of the video has a lot to say about Jesus and religion. Is this man preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ or condemning people who call themselves Christians? Yes. In addition to what I’ve said elsewhere, does the Bible back up the claims of the popular video? Yes and no.

Definitions are important. First, who is Jesus? Jesus is the Son of God, fully man and fully God, he lived, he died (by crucifixion on the cross), and he resurrected from the dead. The work of the cross was done for the redemption of all people because all suffer from a chronic affliction called sin.

Second, what is religion? It is, “a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs” (Dictionary.com).

What does Jesus>Religion claim and is it scriptural? Claim one, “Jesus came to abolish religion.” I could not find this in scripture, but here’s what I did find: “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Mt.19:16-21; Mt. 5:17). Claim two, “Just because you call some people blind, doesn’t automatically give you vision.” True, but that judgment was Jesus’ call (Jn. 9:39-41) and I’d suggest it stay his call. Claim three, “If religion is so great, why does it [insert negative here]?” Religion isn’t the problem; sin is the problem (Ps. 25:6-12).

The claims of Jesus>Religion continue. Claim four, “But, in the Old Testament, God actually calls religious people whores.” This is a bit of a stretch, but the Israelites were called whores because God knew they were inclined to sin and turn from the covenant they had made with the Lord (Deut.31:15-21, ESV). Claim five, “Religion might preach grace, but another thing they practice.”It is true; Christians are guilty of not practicing what they preach. However, grace is from God (Jn. 1:16-18). And, scripture says a lot more on religion and grace (Mt. 5:3-7:27; Acts15:5-11).

Three out of five is pretty good, right? Claim six, “Now I ain’t judging; I’m just saying, quit putting on a fake look because there’s a problem if people only know you’re a Christian by your Facebook.” Unless one is going to take time to disciple “Facebook Christians” this remark is ill-advised (Gal. 6:2-5).

Turning to the opposition of Jesus>Religion; Jesus=Religion. What does the opposition claim? Claim one, “Where do you get off speakin’ up for the man risen from the dead, without botherin’ to quote a single word that he said?” While the point may be valid, it deters from a message of grace and contradicts Jesus’ teaching: “Whoever is not against us is for us” (Mk. 9:38-40).

Since I’m a Lutheran, I share more views with the Jesus=Religion author, but I will compare one point of controversy from each video. “Because, if grace is water, the Church should be an ocean” (Jesus>Religion). “The grace is the water, this baptism now saves you, and the Church is the place where this giving out raises you” (Jesus=Religion). Does scripture support salvation through baptism? Yes and it’s been a heated debate for  easily five-hundred years. We are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection (Rom. 6:1-7). Thus, baptism brings us into Christ’s resurrection (1Pet. 3:18-22). This is orthodoxy, not heresy, and there are other views if you don’t agree with it.

Finally, Jesus is greater than religion, but religion points believers to the grace of the cross. Both of these rhyming You Tube preachers have solid points and a common problem. As servants of the Lord, Christians are called to humility: “The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor” (Pro. 15:33, NRSV). Where the first falsely slanders religion, the other mocks his brother’s folly, and both preach grace with a machinegun.

“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34, KJV).