faith
What is the real world application of your faith?
If you are a Christian, how does that fundamentally effect your life?
Do you go to church?
Pray?
Listen to worship music?
Go to Bible study?
If so... what function do these practices serve?
Do they make you feel better?
Do you feel like God would be mad if you didn't?
Are those places where your friends are?
Do you just not know what else to do?
I love the church. I love campus ministry and Christian community. However, I am worried that our practices lack any real meaning anymore. If faith is now a consumer product, something that we do so that we can feel better, or be seen, then I am not sure what the point really is. This world is crawling with Christians. WSU has at least 10 Christian groups. But what purpose are we really serving? What purpose are all of the churches that litter the Palouse and the US in general really fulfilling?
What is the measure of any Christian community? Is it members? Conversions? Bible studies? These things are great and they are not. They are great if they are helping people live fully Christ-integrated lives. Meaning lives that are rich, abundant, risky and revolutionary. They are not if they allow people to live in a fantasy world that is all of the aforementioned things, but then return to the real world without so much as a second thought or re-examination.
Perhaps all of the Christian structures were created to remind us that Jesus called us to be nothing less than a revolutionary presence in the world. But they all run the risk of being the places where we learn to pat ourselves on the backs and congratulate ourselves for our faithfulness.
Church, worship, Bible study...these can be the places in our lives where we allow God to deeply, deeply unsettle us. These can be the places where we lose our lives and find purpose. These can be the places where we become truly known by the one who truly knows us.
We need to settle for nothing less.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
double standard?
A couple of weeks ago I advertised an event while not wearing a shirt. The response went well...lots of people showed up, people laughed and I think that many people were able to "re-look" at what Jesus has to do with our sexuality. Tomorrow I will be donning the pizza box again to advertise this event again. I asked a friend of mine to join me in this bit of exhibitionism for Jesus.
His response has been very interesting.
We has spent about 45 minutes today talking about whether this is an appropriate way to advertise a Christian event. In this count/counterpoint the question about whether a woman could participate in this form of advertising came up.
I am arguing that a woman could (I'll be it with the pizza box located in different places). The question seems to revolve around whether a woman would be tempting men. If she was, the idea follows, that she should not participate. And if a woman should not participate, then a man should not either.
I think I disagree with this idea at step one, that a woman should not ever dress in a way that could tempt a man. I struggle with this idea because it is so cultural. Is cleavage tempting? An ankle? Eyes? Shoulders? How can any culture agree what is a "sexual" part of the body?
Secondly, why is the responsibility for sexual sin placed on the woman? If I look at a woman lustfully is that lust my fault or hers? Does it matter how she is dressed?
Jesus says that a man who looks at a woman lustfully has committed adultery in his heart. It appears from my study that adultery in the Bible is ANY sex outside of marriage. So then, this is sex without mutual consent. This is mind rape that Jesus is talking about. Isn't the idea that woman is at fault then, just like the argument that if a woman is dressed provocatively and is raped that she is to blame? How much violence towards woman has followed this idea?
Finally, and I think that this is crux of my idea, what message does this send to woman inside and outside of the church? I know woman outside the church who do not own any non-t-shirt tops that are lacking cleavage. Can they come to church? How are the looked at when they come? What are people's disdainful looks telling them about Jesus?
Was the woman who was caught in adultery clothed when she was drug before Jesus? Was the woman at the well dressed appropriately?
Does it matter?
Men; I think that it is time that we take responsibility for our own sexual thoughts and practices. We are weak at times. We need Jesus' help. We need to grow in love for our sisters and to learn to respect ALL of them, not just the ones who are not physically tempting to us.
Women; your bodies are not dirty things that suddenly become beautiful when you get married. Please don't get your value from the ways that we men see you...it is a fleeting way to get value that will never bring long term worth. I apologize for any way that I have contributed to making you feel like your body is the only thing that makes you feel special or dirty. Neither extreme is what God has for you. You were fearfully and wonderfully made. Please remember this truth.
And to my friend who brought this up. These are my humble thoughts. I may be very wrong. It wouldn't be the first time :)
A couple of weeks ago I advertised an event while not wearing a shirt. The response went well...lots of people showed up, people laughed and I think that many people were able to "re-look" at what Jesus has to do with our sexuality. Tomorrow I will be donning the pizza box again to advertise this event again. I asked a friend of mine to join me in this bit of exhibitionism for Jesus.
His response has been very interesting.
We has spent about 45 minutes today talking about whether this is an appropriate way to advertise a Christian event. In this count/counterpoint the question about whether a woman could participate in this form of advertising came up.
I am arguing that a woman could (I'll be it with the pizza box located in different places). The question seems to revolve around whether a woman would be tempting men. If she was, the idea follows, that she should not participate. And if a woman should not participate, then a man should not either.
I think I disagree with this idea at step one, that a woman should not ever dress in a way that could tempt a man. I struggle with this idea because it is so cultural. Is cleavage tempting? An ankle? Eyes? Shoulders? How can any culture agree what is a "sexual" part of the body?
Secondly, why is the responsibility for sexual sin placed on the woman? If I look at a woman lustfully is that lust my fault or hers? Does it matter how she is dressed?
Jesus says that a man who looks at a woman lustfully has committed adultery in his heart. It appears from my study that adultery in the Bible is ANY sex outside of marriage. So then, this is sex without mutual consent. This is mind rape that Jesus is talking about. Isn't the idea that woman is at fault then, just like the argument that if a woman is dressed provocatively and is raped that she is to blame? How much violence towards woman has followed this idea?
Finally, and I think that this is crux of my idea, what message does this send to woman inside and outside of the church? I know woman outside the church who do not own any non-t-shirt tops that are lacking cleavage. Can they come to church? How are the looked at when they come? What are people's disdainful looks telling them about Jesus?
Was the woman who was caught in adultery clothed when she was drug before Jesus? Was the woman at the well dressed appropriately?
Does it matter?
Men; I think that it is time that we take responsibility for our own sexual thoughts and practices. We are weak at times. We need Jesus' help. We need to grow in love for our sisters and to learn to respect ALL of them, not just the ones who are not physically tempting to us.
Women; your bodies are not dirty things that suddenly become beautiful when you get married. Please don't get your value from the ways that we men see you...it is a fleeting way to get value that will never bring long term worth. I apologize for any way that I have contributed to making you feel like your body is the only thing that makes you feel special or dirty. Neither extreme is what God has for you. You were fearfully and wonderfully made. Please remember this truth.
And to my friend who brought this up. These are my humble thoughts. I may be very wrong. It wouldn't be the first time :)
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
life abundant?
Jesus came to give life and life abundant.
He said so. I promise.
I am not sure that my life always reflects that abundance. Too often I settle for mediocrity. I often feel like the Mr. Incredible trying to sell insurance. I am trying to squeeze my life into the margins that it is supposed to fit. My faith can feel like the mold that I have to fit all of my passions into. My faith becomes about being well-behaved and polished.
But is it supposed to be that way?
I don't think so.
Before I was a Christian I was a classic "could of been" person.
"I could of made the basketball team, but the coach didn't like me".
"I could answer that question, but what's the point"?
"I could care about those people, but what can I do"?
"That person would never like me, who am I"?
It was Jesus who taught me passion. It is the lie of church culture that often tries to squash it. Love doesn't stop when it is pressured to, it pushes through, it finds cracks, it has to find a way to expand out or it has to shrivel up and die.
There are only two options.
I refuse to allow the great adventure of my life to be what I watch on TV, the video games I play, the music I listen to, or the books that I read.
If life with Jesus cannot be bold, passionate, full of love and an adventure than it is all a pile of shit and it is time to move on.
I believe that I life of Jesus can be terrifyingly beautiful and achingly exciting. I think that it can be abundant after all.
(ps. thanks spazham for inspiring me to try and blog again.)
Jesus came to give life and life abundant.
He said so. I promise.
I am not sure that my life always reflects that abundance. Too often I settle for mediocrity. I often feel like the Mr. Incredible trying to sell insurance. I am trying to squeeze my life into the margins that it is supposed to fit. My faith can feel like the mold that I have to fit all of my passions into. My faith becomes about being well-behaved and polished.
But is it supposed to be that way?
I don't think so.
Before I was a Christian I was a classic "could of been" person.
"I could of made the basketball team, but the coach didn't like me".
"I could answer that question, but what's the point"?
"I could care about those people, but what can I do"?
"That person would never like me, who am I"?
It was Jesus who taught me passion. It is the lie of church culture that often tries to squash it. Love doesn't stop when it is pressured to, it pushes through, it finds cracks, it has to find a way to expand out or it has to shrivel up and die.
There are only two options.
I refuse to allow the great adventure of my life to be what I watch on TV, the video games I play, the music I listen to, or the books that I read.
If life with Jesus cannot be bold, passionate, full of love and an adventure than it is all a pile of shit and it is time to move on.
I believe that I life of Jesus can be terrifyingly beautiful and achingly exciting. I think that it can be abundant after all.
(ps. thanks spazham for inspiring me to try and blog again.)
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