Avoiding a Repeat of the Worst Mistake in Christian History
Here is a link to a story that illustrates for me that some Christians have still not learned one of the biggest lessons of Church history. For those who don't want to read the article, a theologian is suggesting that Tilly the killer whale should die based on the laws of the goring ox found in Exodus 21. This story about someone trying to apply scripture may seem innocuous at worst, and to some even laudable. To me it betrays both a deep ignorance of scripture and a failure to understand our past blunders.
The Scriptural Problem
This person's 'literal' reading of scripture fails to understand one of the most important features of the law. The law was given to a theocratic state where religion and government were essentially the same. Today we would call this the union of church and state. Unless Sea World, or the US is under theocratic rule, this argument holds no water.
The Failure to Understand Church History
Someone might argue that the union of church and state would be a good thing. I would respond that we already tried that in medieval Europe. The union of church and state was one of the the biggest mistakes in the history of the church. It was the root that gave birth to the two worst happenings in the history of the church: 1) the crusades, and 2) the exportation of culture and imperialism under the guise of missions. Both of these happenings were the fully grown fruit of the union of church and state. In both cases, Christians packaged the gospel with their own culture and government.The separation of church and state is a good thing for both the church and the state.
What do you think? Do you think this theologian has a point? Or do you think he is totally off base?
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
3.07.2010
10.12.2009
Holy-Ween, Fall Festival, Trunk-or-Treat, or Just Halloween?
Every year around the end of October children everywhere dress up as ghosts, witches, skeletons, soldiers, and a million other things. They band together and go knocking on the doors of total strangers. What are they seeking? CANDY! Candy of all kinds: Tootsie Rolls and Snickers, Gummi Bears and Suckers, Milky Ways and Airheads, Butterfingers and Reese's.
Around this same time Christian children everywhere don their Apostle Paul or Heavenly Angel costumes and head for the church parking lot! There they will find carnival games and open trunks. What are they seeking? The same CANDY, of course!
I have had the opportunity to celebrate Halloween in several different ways. When I was young, I went trick-or-treating, both in my neighborhood and in others. I distinctly remember one year when I was a soldier, I had a toy grenade that banged loudly if you threw it on the ground. I thought it would be funny to throw it at the feet of the people who opened the their doors to pass out candy. Not so much. While serving at a small church in Houston, I put on a church parking lot carnival. Of course, the games only started after my sermon on the evils of Halloween and subsequent gospel presentation. While in Dallas, my wife and I had the opportunity to take dozens of children to the biggest baddest fall festival I have ever seen. This thing would rival some state fairs. A wealthy church in north Dallas shuttled all of our kids up for the evening. It was a blast!
Because of its history, many Christians feel that celebrating Halloween is tantamount to participation in pagan religion.(Here is a quick look at the history of Halloween.) Others see no problem with it. Still others think it is fine to celebrate, but that it should be done in the safe confines of the church grounds.
Should Christians celebrate Halloween? Or should we celebrate Halloween, but call it something else? Or should we celebrate All Saints Day? Or should we let the end of October pass without acknowledging anything?
Around this same time Christian children everywhere don their Apostle Paul or Heavenly Angel costumes and head for the church parking lot! There they will find carnival games and open trunks. What are they seeking? The same CANDY, of course!
I have had the opportunity to celebrate Halloween in several different ways. When I was young, I went trick-or-treating, both in my neighborhood and in others. I distinctly remember one year when I was a soldier, I had a toy grenade that banged loudly if you threw it on the ground. I thought it would be funny to throw it at the feet of the people who opened the their doors to pass out candy. Not so much. While serving at a small church in Houston, I put on a church parking lot carnival. Of course, the games only started after my sermon on the evils of Halloween and subsequent gospel presentation. While in Dallas, my wife and I had the opportunity to take dozens of children to the biggest baddest fall festival I have ever seen. This thing would rival some state fairs. A wealthy church in north Dallas shuttled all of our kids up for the evening. It was a blast!
Because of its history, many Christians feel that celebrating Halloween is tantamount to participation in pagan religion.(Here is a quick look at the history of Halloween.) Others see no problem with it. Still others think it is fine to celebrate, but that it should be done in the safe confines of the church grounds.
Should Christians celebrate Halloween? Or should we celebrate Halloween, but call it something else? Or should we celebrate All Saints Day? Or should we let the end of October pass without acknowledging anything?
9.28.2009
One Lord, One Faith, One Nation?
By Bern Velasco
If you’ve spent any time in a conservative church in America around the 4th of July you’ve probably noticed the sacred connection between our faith and our body politic. Perhaps you've felt the uproar over the United States’ progressive removal of faith symbols from public life or our president's declaration that the U.S. is not a Christian Nation and Congressman Forbes' response.
But before we rush to defend our Christian nation against the pressing forces of secularism we should first define Christian nation. Do we simply mean "A lot of Christians live here"? Do we mean "The US symbolically uses the Bible and other Christian forms on a regular basis"? Or do we mean, "The United States of America has a particular relationship with God similar to Israel in the Old Testament"? I must reject the third, the US has no covenant with God. The second is inevitably reduced to lip-service since the majority of our leaders and nation do not appear to follow Christ. The first is an ever weakening proposition as our younger generations become more secular. Furthermore, is self-identification as a Christian nation even sufficient to warrant that designation?
While we could explore each of these definitions further, it would be more helpful to consider our founding documents themselves and determine if the ideas that constitute our nation are truly Christian. If you examine the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution you will find the official US position is that governments (not the notion of government) are established by men, derive their authority from men, and are man's instrument for order and justice. Contrast this to Romans 13.1-7 where governments (again, governments, not the notion of government) are established by God, derive their authority from God and are God's instrument for order and justice.
While stimulating, the more pressing question pertains to the true Christian Nation. Notice the language of 1 Peter 2.9: "But you [Gentile believers scattered throughout Asia Minor] are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION. According to BDAG, Race [γενος genos] refers to large and small groups with common ancestry and traits. Nation [εθνος ethnos] refers to a body of people united by kinship, culture, and traditions. People [λαος laos] refers to a body of people with a common, specific territory and traditions. Should we not conclude the true Christian nation is the Body of Christ?
Discussion Question: What would we lose if the U.S. were no longer considered a Christian nation? What might be gained?
Bern Velasco is Ryan's buddy from Seminary and the College and Young Adults Pastor of Hessel Church in Sebastopol, CA. On his blog (Everything's Hebel) you can listen to a message delivered on this subject.
If you’ve spent any time in a conservative church in America around the 4th of July you’ve probably noticed the sacred connection between our faith and our body politic. Perhaps you've felt the uproar over the United States’ progressive removal of faith symbols from public life or our president's declaration that the U.S. is not a Christian Nation and Congressman Forbes' response.
But before we rush to defend our Christian nation against the pressing forces of secularism we should first define Christian nation. Do we simply mean "A lot of Christians live here"? Do we mean "The US symbolically uses the Bible and other Christian forms on a regular basis"? Or do we mean, "The United States of America has a particular relationship with God similar to Israel in the Old Testament"? I must reject the third, the US has no covenant with God. The second is inevitably reduced to lip-service since the majority of our leaders and nation do not appear to follow Christ. The first is an ever weakening proposition as our younger generations become more secular. Furthermore, is self-identification as a Christian nation even sufficient to warrant that designation?
While we could explore each of these definitions further, it would be more helpful to consider our founding documents themselves and determine if the ideas that constitute our nation are truly Christian. If you examine the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution you will find the official US position is that governments (not the notion of government) are established by men, derive their authority from men, and are man's instrument for order and justice. Contrast this to Romans 13.1-7 where governments (again, governments, not the notion of government) are established by God, derive their authority from God and are God's instrument for order and justice.
While stimulating, the more pressing question pertains to the true Christian Nation. Notice the language of 1 Peter 2.9: "But you [Gentile believers scattered throughout Asia Minor] are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION. According to BDAG, Race [γενος genos] refers to large and small groups with common ancestry and traits. Nation [εθνος ethnos] refers to a body of people united by kinship, culture, and traditions. People [λαος laos] refers to a body of people with a common, specific territory and traditions. Should we not conclude the true Christian nation is the Body of Christ?
Discussion Question: What would we lose if the U.S. were no longer considered a Christian nation? What might be gained?
Bern Velasco is Ryan's buddy from Seminary and the College and Young Adults Pastor of Hessel Church in Sebastopol, CA. On his blog (Everything's Hebel) you can listen to a message delivered on this subject.
9.14.2009
The Christian Alternative
College and seminary professors are often in the habit of posting interesting or funny items related to their areas of study on their office doors. Of course, the funny posts are often only funny to those with PhD's; the rest of us just scratch our heads and try to pretend like we get it. I remember one professor in particular had a fascinating chart posted on his door. It had two columns, one labeled "If you like..." the other labeled "Then try..." The "If you like..." column contained the names of at least 200 mainstream music bands. The "Then try..." column contained the names of Christian bands that, I guess, sound comparable. The chart, of course, was meant to offer a Christian alternative to the mainstream music.
The Christian Alternative is present not only in the music world, but in several arenas. A few notable alternatives are bookstores, coffee houses, movies, TV channels, action heroes (Go Bible Man!), schools, and phone directories. Undoubtedly, others could be added here. The idea of the Christian alternative seems to be that believers are better off if they have less input from the world and more input from Christian sources.
But...Is that true? Does using the Christian alternative produce godlier, more Christ-like believers?
As I think about this issue, I can see two opposing realities colliding. On the one hand, the Christian alternative seems to feed an impulse toward separatist fundamentalism. On the other hand, as a parent, I really do not want my son to grow up and be more American than Christian. As a friend of mine puts it, "When my kid leaves my house, I want him to love Christ more than he loves the world" (Daren Busenitz).
My instinct is to lean away from using the Christian alternative in most areas. I am all for Christians using their gifts in art, music, business, or any other arena. I am not for Christians creating an alternative by intentionally imitating successful 'secular' ventures.
How about you?
The Christian Alternative is present not only in the music world, but in several arenas. A few notable alternatives are bookstores, coffee houses, movies, TV channels, action heroes (Go Bible Man!), schools, and phone directories. Undoubtedly, others could be added here. The idea of the Christian alternative seems to be that believers are better off if they have less input from the world and more input from Christian sources.
But...Is that true? Does using the Christian alternative produce godlier, more Christ-like believers?
As I think about this issue, I can see two opposing realities colliding. On the one hand, the Christian alternative seems to feed an impulse toward separatist fundamentalism. On the other hand, as a parent, I really do not want my son to grow up and be more American than Christian. As a friend of mine puts it, "When my kid leaves my house, I want him to love Christ more than he loves the world" (Daren Busenitz).
My instinct is to lean away from using the Christian alternative in most areas. I am all for Christians using their gifts in art, music, business, or any other arena. I am not for Christians creating an alternative by intentionally imitating successful 'secular' ventures.
How about you?
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