emerging mosaic

is God-red or blue

In the recent history on the north American church there has been s significant and different foray in to the political arena. Churches and pastors of churches have begun to not only to openly share their views about political candidates but to endorse those candidates from the pulpit and tell the members of the church who they should vote for. Today I got a call about the latest step in this trend a group called the  Alliance Defense Fund - Defending Our First Liberty. Is hankering for a fight over the IRS rule that church cannot actively endorse any candidate or engage in politicking if they want to keep tax exempt status. The rule they say violates their first amendment right to freedom of speech.

I think this is a dangerous path that these folks are walking. While I believe that Christians should be involved in the public and political sphere,  I also believe Jesus teaches in the scriptures that God does not work through politically system the way they are proposing. God purposes and kingdom are not equivalent to a political agenda. It is bigger than any political agenda or ideology.

This summer preached a series of message looking at some of the hot button issues of the day through the metaphor of colors. One message asked the question Is God red or blue? Maybe you have seen the bumper stickers that read God is a republican or Jesus is a democrat. There are Christians that sincerely believe that God can be labeled in this way. As I shared with the faith community I serve, I think God is neither red or blue, God is purple. The combination of both colors. 

When God is attached to a particular political affiliation or agenda, we trivialize and limit God’s purposes to that which is appealing to, and in agreement with our political sensibilities. Furthermore we miss the truth that God’s mission, God’s purpose and God’s kingdom is bigger than any single political point of view. God is seeking a greater good than any political agenda can ever achieve.

This view or endorsing candidates from the pulpit leads to the kind of inappropriate linkage of candidate with God that allow the current president to be referred to by one of his former department staff as the pastor in chief. I am amazed that those who want to inject God into the small minded nature of American politics forget or ignore the scripture that give us clear cautionary warning about doing just that. ³

 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. Psalm 146:3Psalm 146:3
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
3 You can't depend on anyone, not even a great leader.

Jesus teaches his first followers that his focus in not on our human agenda but something bigger and grander and greater that includes all kinds of people regardless of their politics

³⁶ “My kingdom,” said Jesus, “doesn’t consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.”
John 18:36John 18:36
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
36 Jesus answered, �My kingdom doesn't belong to this world. If it did, my followers would have fought to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. No, my kingdom doesn't belong to this world.�

Now don’t get wrong we followers of Jesus should absolutely have a voice in the political sphere. It is essential that we are a part of the conversation. But our participation should be to seek the promotion kingdom regardless of party affiliation. it should not be to attribute party values to God. We don’t get to cherry pick the values we want to promote in the name of God and God’s reign.  It we promote some we must promote all.  In Myth of a Christian Nation, Greg Boyd pointed to the danger to the church if we don’t adopt a more holistic biblical understanding of Christian values and their place in the public square. I believe  Jim Wallis is right. When it comes to God’s politics the right gets it wrong and the left doesn’t get it.

what say you?

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Technorati Tags: Alliance Defense Fund, blue, God''s politics, Greg Boyd, jim-wallis, kingdom of God, kingdom values, kingdom_of_god, myth of a christian nation, politics, red

I recently became acquainted with Kim Winston who has a book and web site on the use of prayer beads. Kim writes that through the use prayer beads she is making her way back to God. I think this is a great example of how reclaiming ancient spiritual practices can make tried and ways of being connected to God fresh and accessible to all kinds of people. Check out her web site at Bead One, Pray Too

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Technorati Tags: prayer, prayer beads

Here is a glimpse of grace from our so called secular world. Grace under fire from my perspective.
ABC News: Scott McClellan Apologizes for Bashing Richard Clarke

OK. Good luck. Be careful.”

As they part company

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Technorati Tags: forgiveness, grace

Rick Warren Goes Global - TIME

Rick Warren is taking his P.E.A.C.E. initiative global.

“an attempt to radically re-engineer Evangelicalism’s huge missionary culture, connecting individual churches in the U.S. to congregations in target countries rather than funneling aid and evangelism through agencies that send trained professionals into the field’

Is this the direction we should be going in mission? Is Warren on to something or is this just another example of the walmartization (yes I made that up) of the church?

What say you

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Faith In Public Life has a link to an article from the Christian Science Monitor asking if the religion conversation in the presidential campaign-is a good thing?. I don’t-think so! Since it has been just more of the same hyperbole and demonizing of the “other” side that has happened in the past. I’m looking forward preaching on the red/blue nature of God in a couple weeks.

Faith has a role in public life but the way that many followers of Jesus have expressed it is off center in my opinion

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Technorati Tags: 08, faith, politics, presidential campaign, religion, spiritual-practice

So had a myspace page as well as my blog for a while now and then I added a facebook and flickr. I start to think this is getting a little out of hand. I have a hard enough time finding time to blog much less keep all these other social networking things going. So I have been experimenting with some applications/plugins that allow me to sync my blog with the social networking sites (currently facebook and flickr) So apologize in advance if things get a little chaotic or should I say chaordic. I’m still trying to figure out which apps work best.

In the meantime I’ve upgraded to the latest version on wordpress for the blog, tweaked the theme and plan on doing more blogging in the days ahead.

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Several years ago I sat in a worship gathering with Sally Morganthaler as someone from the Ionia Community lead the gathered body in some “worship songs of diversity” from Africa. At one point Morganthaler asked me where is the hip hop music? The Anglo church including some of my friends in the emerging church and emergent conversation have been slow to embrace hip hop’s place in the church.

Baker Bookhouse is sponsoring a Hip Hop Culture Forum on April 24th and bringing some important people to the table talk about this very issue.

The next night will feature a great line up of Christian hip hip artists including

Local George Moss ( who  will moderate the forum
T-Bone
Grits ( a favorite of my son and I)

and many more. This is something worth checking out

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Technorati Tags: baker-books, diversity, hip hop, hip hop church, hip hop culture

Several years ago I sat in a worship gathering with Sally Morganthaler as someone from the Ionia Community lead the gathered body in some “worship songs of diversity” from Africa. At one point Morganthaler asked me where is the hip hop music? The Anglo church including some of my friends in the emerging church and emergent conversation have been slow to embrace hip hop’s place in the church.

Baker Bookhouse is sponsoring a Hip Hop Culture Forum on April 24th and bringing some important people to the table talk about this very issue.

The next night will feature a great line up of Christian hip hip artists including

Local George Moss ( who  will moderate the forum
T-Bone
Grits ( a favorite of my son and I)

and many more. This is something worth checking out

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Technorati Tags: baker-books, diversity, hip hop, hip hop church, hip hop culture

In many ways I have resisted commenting on the current presidential campaign. I’m not a US citizen so I don’t get a vote. I don’t want to be misinterpreted as often happens when people blog on politics. But in the light of all the recent hoopla about an African american pastor and presidential candidate Barack Obama, I feel compelled to comment. I never thought that in my lifetime a person much less a man of African descent would be able to viably run for the presidency. Black men or those who are classified as such are at the lowest end of the social totem when it comes to power in the US. This is the American post colonial story. So I did not dare think that a “black” man with a non anglo ( read non slave) name would be in a position to compete much lesss win the presedency of the United States of America. But for some reason I’m unable to quite fathom my hope has been restored.

Maybe I’m inspired by this words of this video that countless people have seen by now.

Maybe I’m convicted by the comments of one of the people interviewd in the movie SIcko that the way to “control the masses” is through fear and hopelessness, and if poeple have hope that they will move for change.

Maybe I’m just struck by the incredible double standard which discounts the way that legacy of slavery shaes the life of very person of African descent  in America. thus causing the demonization of Rev. Jeremiah Wright while giving Pat Robertson and others who have made similar comments form seats of power a pass.

Myabe I’m convinced that the Jesus stated mission to hope to the hopeless is joined when we dare to hope for things not yet seen.

So I say yes I can hope again and hope that the church will too

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Technorati Tags: african american, hope, Jeremiah Wright, obama

Several weeks ago I shared my thoughts about moving beyond a churchianity type of Christianity to practicing faith more focused on joining God in kingdom work. Now a recently released boo titled unchristian points to why this is so important.

The book has research about how the church is viewed in our culture by the prominent Christian researcher George Barna. It reinforces the title of Dan Kimball’s book They like Jesus but not the church. The book and its accompanying web site suggests that the church has an image problem.

 Here are are some snippets

One-fifth of all outsiders, regardless of age, admitted they “have had a bad experience in a church or with a Christian that gave them a negative image of Jesus Christ.” This represents nearly fifty million adult residents of this country-including about nine million young outsiders-who admit they have significant emotional or spiritual baggage from past experiences with so-called Christ followers.

Christians believe the primary reason outsiders have rejected Christ is that they cannot handle the rigorous standards of following Christ. There is a nuance here that allows Christians to feel like they’re better than other people, more capable of being holy and sinless.

Only one out of five outsiders said they perceive Christian churches as loving environments, places where people are unconditionally loved and accepted regardless of how they look or what they do. Surprisingly, fewer than half of churchgoers, including born-again Christians, felt strongly that their church demonstrates unconditional love.

Here are a couple thoughts I have. It is certainly not exhaustive but a starting point.

First I think we need to get over ourselves. We have to get beyond thinking that being the church is about those of us who are in the church. The church exists to serve God by serving the world. Jesus said it clearly he came to serve humanity (Matthew 20:28Matthew 20:28
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
28 The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue x rescue: The Greek word often, though not always, means the payment of a price to free a slave or a prisoner. many people.

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) so as his followers so should we.

Second spend less time trying to figure out who is in and  who is out and focus on doing the things Jesus said connects to him and to God. Like visiting the sick and imprisoned, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless and clothing the naked. (Matthew 25:31-46Matthew 25:31-46
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
The Final Judgment ³¹ a ; b . When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all of his angels, he will sit on his royal throne. ³² The people of all nations will be brought before him, and he will separate them, as shepherds separate their sheep from their goats. ³³ He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴ Then the king will say to those on his right, �My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. ³⁵ . When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, ³⁶ and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.� ³⁷ Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, �When did we give you something to eat or drink? ³⁸ When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear ³⁹ or visit you while you were sick or in jail?� ⁴⁰ The king will answer, �Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.� ⁴¹ Then the king will say to those on his left, �Get away from me! You are under God's curse. Go into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels! ⁴² I was hungry, but you did not give me anything to eat, and I was thirsty, but you did not give me anything to drink. ⁴³ I was a stranger, but you did not welcome me, and I was naked, but you did not give me any clothes to wear. I was sick and in jail, but you did not take care of me.� ⁴⁴ Then the people will ask, �Lord, when did we fail to help you when you were hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in jail?� ⁴⁵ The king will say to them, �Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me.� ⁴⁶ . Then Jesus said, �Those people will be punished forever. But the ones who pleased God will have eternal life.�

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) Basically being their for the outsiders of our world.

Finally I think we need try to become like Jesus. A middle eastern man who lives a simple live was always working to deepen his connection to God and live out the scriptures. You see I think many in the church have become good a seeing all the flaws in others that will prevent then from going to heaven but we aren’t paying attention to what God is calling us to be as followers of Jesus. Not judges but followers. A recent talk I did at a public forum has gotten me a letter that suggest I am misguided at best and pagan at worst because I practice yoga and we have setup prayer labyrinths.

I wonder where in the scriptures does it say don’t practice yoga that focused our hearts, bodies and spirit on following Jesus or set up prayer labyrinth that deepen our relationship with Jesus our Saviour? However Jesus did tell his followers to leave alone anyone who proclaim the good news of God’s love in his name. (Mark 9:38-41Mark 9:38-41
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
For or against Jesus ³⁸ John said, �Teacher, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But he wasn't one of us, and we told him to stop.� ³⁹ Jesus said to his disciples: Don't stop him! No one who works miracles in my name will soon turn and say something bad about me. ⁴⁰ ; . Anyone who isn't against us is for us. ⁴¹ . And anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name, just because you belong to me, will surely be rewarded.

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Technorati Tags: churchianity, conversations, faith & culture, spiritual-practice, unchristian