I spend most of my work days driving throughout northeastern Wisconsin and visiting patients who are dying. I’m a hospice chaplain. For better or worse, I often listen to the radio. It’s hard nowadays to find a radio station that has decent programming, other than some FM stations that play recycled music all day long—and that gets old, too.
I listen to sports updates, but I also tune in to conservative talk shows. I try to give the hosts a chance every time, and every time I turn them off after about ten minutes because that’s all I can take. The hate-talk, the bombastic rhetoric, the stereotypes and generalizations, the one-sided propaganda—it’s all too much for me.
But I always wonder about those people who digest this stuff day in and day out…what effect does it have on their minds and souls? I believe thoughts have karmic consequences. That is, we are what we think, and we become what we think. Not only this, our words proceed from our heart. Our words reveal our heart. To me, talk radio reveals a bunch of hearts that are really in trouble and words that can set off karmic ripples of negativity and prejudice.
Don’t ever think that words are irrelevant. Words do matter. Words are powerful. Words can save us or harm us. Words can build up or they can destroy.
One of the things that disturb me most about America today is intemperate speech. We’ve reached the point where “freedom of speech” means the freedom to say whatever we want, no matter how obscene or hateful it is. I don’t believe that is what is meant by the First Amendment.
But why limit ourselves to the First Amendment. Let’s go further back to Jesus, who said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks . . . on the Day of Judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you have spoken. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt 12:34-37).
Speaking of words, these are some of the most stunning words in the New Testament. I’m fairly certain, however, that radio talk show hosts aren’t listening. After all, they aren’t getting paid to really listen, are they? But I think God is listening . . .
March 24, 2010
March 5, 2010
The Resurrection and God's Future
Christian faith is openness to the future because the future is God’s future. Christian faith includes a living hope that leans into God’s future. It is not hope in this or that, or hope in utopia, or even hope in “heaven.” It is hope God alone—the God of Jesus Christ, the God who raised Jesus from the dead, “the coming God.” This is why Christian faith is eschatological. It always keeps “the end” in view and interprets the present in the light of God’s coming future. There can be no selling out to the present, as if the present is all there is, without a future horizon: “Live for today because tomorrow we die!” That’s nonsense. The present without God’s future makes no sense, and Christian faith without Christian hope is a contradiction. Christians await “the new creation.” All creation is groaning for the coming of God’s future.
God’s coming future is the presupposition of the New Testament. We cannot understand the New Testament apart from the awareness that “the times” have shifted. Salvation has arrived in Christ. The cross and resurrection have inaugurated “the new age.” We are already living in “the last days,” and the Spirit is the “first fruits” of “the age to come.” The first rays of dawn are shining. We eagerly await the full light of God’s glory. There is a horizon! Therefore, to work for the kingdom of God here and now is to also keep in view the kingdom yet to come, the kingdom established by God alone, by God’s initiative.
This eschatological perspective drives the theology of the New Testament. Christians never lose hope in the present because they never lose hope in the coming God who is the ruler of both present and future. This is the God who raises the dead and brings life out of death. Jesus has been raised from the dead! God’s future has already begun! There is more to come! This, to me, is the theological meaning of the resurrection.
I live today with hope, no matter what. Why? Because Christ lives! And his life is the guarantee of God’s ultimate triumph.
God’s coming future is the presupposition of the New Testament. We cannot understand the New Testament apart from the awareness that “the times” have shifted. Salvation has arrived in Christ. The cross and resurrection have inaugurated “the new age.” We are already living in “the last days,” and the Spirit is the “first fruits” of “the age to come.” The first rays of dawn are shining. We eagerly await the full light of God’s glory. There is a horizon! Therefore, to work for the kingdom of God here and now is to also keep in view the kingdom yet to come, the kingdom established by God alone, by God’s initiative.
This eschatological perspective drives the theology of the New Testament. Christians never lose hope in the present because they never lose hope in the coming God who is the ruler of both present and future. This is the God who raises the dead and brings life out of death. Jesus has been raised from the dead! God’s future has already begun! There is more to come! This, to me, is the theological meaning of the resurrection.
I live today with hope, no matter what. Why? Because Christ lives! And his life is the guarantee of God’s ultimate triumph.
February 21, 2010
Lent: Giving Something Up or Adding Something?
Lent: Giving Something Up or Adding Something?
Somehow Christians managed to survive for over three hundred years without Lent. The original Apostles didn’t keep Lent. The Apostle Paul didn’t keep Lent. The early church “Fathers,” such as Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Origen, never kept Lent. My goodness, how did they all survive without Lent!
The formal observance of Lent as a forty day period of fasting and penitence arose in Rome in the 4th century. Fine. Religious observances are a good thing. Lent can be a good thing. We go with Jesus, so to speak, into the wilderness for forty days of fasting, prayer, and contemplation. This is a good thing.
It is good to remind ourselves of our finitude and limitations. It’s good to remind ourselves that we are sinners! We fall short of God’s standard of love. We need forgiveness. I’m on board with all that. I get it.
But people have this habit of giving something up for Lent. I’ve never given up anything during Lent in my entire life, even when I was a pastor. I don’t believe in giving things up for the sake of giving things up, and then taking them back again as soon as Lent is over! It strikes me as artificial and contrived. For example, I know some people who give up chocolate “for Lent.” Woo-hoo! Christ died on the cross and I’m giving up chocolate for forty days! Pretty impressive!
No, Lent is a time to take something on, to add something—as a sacrifice, as a way of breaking out of our entrenched selfishness. So, add more prayer time to your life. Add more people to your prayer list. Add a visit to someone who is lonely. Write a real letter to someone to cheer them up. Do something extra for Lent, and do it in the name of God.
I don’t think God needs us to give up a lot of stuff. I think God would be content to see us add a few more things that really make a difference in someone else’s life. That, to me, is Lent.
The whole fasting thing . . . it’s never impressed me. Fast all you want. I won’t.
Somehow Christians managed to survive for over three hundred years without Lent. The original Apostles didn’t keep Lent. The Apostle Paul didn’t keep Lent. The early church “Fathers,” such as Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Origen, never kept Lent. My goodness, how did they all survive without Lent!
The formal observance of Lent as a forty day period of fasting and penitence arose in Rome in the 4th century. Fine. Religious observances are a good thing. Lent can be a good thing. We go with Jesus, so to speak, into the wilderness for forty days of fasting, prayer, and contemplation. This is a good thing.
It is good to remind ourselves of our finitude and limitations. It’s good to remind ourselves that we are sinners! We fall short of God’s standard of love. We need forgiveness. I’m on board with all that. I get it.
But people have this habit of giving something up for Lent. I’ve never given up anything during Lent in my entire life, even when I was a pastor. I don’t believe in giving things up for the sake of giving things up, and then taking them back again as soon as Lent is over! It strikes me as artificial and contrived. For example, I know some people who give up chocolate “for Lent.” Woo-hoo! Christ died on the cross and I’m giving up chocolate for forty days! Pretty impressive!
No, Lent is a time to take something on, to add something—as a sacrifice, as a way of breaking out of our entrenched selfishness. So, add more prayer time to your life. Add more people to your prayer list. Add a visit to someone who is lonely. Write a real letter to someone to cheer them up. Do something extra for Lent, and do it in the name of God.
I don’t think God needs us to give up a lot of stuff. I think God would be content to see us add a few more things that really make a difference in someone else’s life. That, to me, is Lent.
The whole fasting thing . . . it’s never impressed me. Fast all you want. I won’t.
February 12, 2010
Thoughts on the Apostle Paul . . .
A few words on the Apostle Paul, my favorite Christian theologian. This is isn't a head trip. It's about understanding freedom and the radical message of Christ for today.
Jewish theologian, Samuel Sandmel, wrote, “Paul did not create Christianity, he re-created it."
I have discovered that Jews are often the best interpreters of Paul. Why? Paul was a Jew, a rabbi, and the framework of Paul’s thinking is largely Jewish, including his apocalyptic world view. Paul never saw himself as deviating from “true Judaism.” To him, Jesus Christ had been revealed as the crucified Messiah, raised from the dead and exalted as Lord. Paul saw a continuous line from Abraham through Moses and the prophets to Christ and beyond. In his view, those Jews who do not accept the gospel are the ones who have deviated and gone astray.
Nevertheless, Paul is the great non-conformist of the early Christian church. We cannot place him in Palestinian Jewish Christianity. Paul represents Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) Christianity. Were it not for Paul, Christianity would have remained a sect within Judaism. Paul was called by Christ to take the gospel to the Gentiles, and this could be called “a second beginning” for Christianity.
This is the main reason we see such tension in Paul’s life and letters. He was breaking new ground, deviating from the Jewish Christian path into the wider Gentile world. Most of his enemies and opponents were Christians. Most of his arguments were with people inside the Christian movement. Thus in Paul we see the stress of a fledging religious movement trying to define itself. Paul is the “genius” behind Hellenistic Christianity, and he paid a price for this.
Paul is interesting, though not always likable. He is impressive, though not always convincing. He is wrong at times, but he is never shallow.
I'm convinced that the institutional church has never understood Paul and his gospel of freedom in Christ. The only way the institutional church can use Paul is by misinterpreting him! Otherwise Paul is too de-stabilizing. Church bureaucrats must water him down. Whenever Christianity gets dull and boring, you can be sure we've lost touch with Paul and that we don't understand him at all.
Jewish theologian, Samuel Sandmel, wrote, “Paul did not create Christianity, he re-created it."
I have discovered that Jews are often the best interpreters of Paul. Why? Paul was a Jew, a rabbi, and the framework of Paul’s thinking is largely Jewish, including his apocalyptic world view. Paul never saw himself as deviating from “true Judaism.” To him, Jesus Christ had been revealed as the crucified Messiah, raised from the dead and exalted as Lord. Paul saw a continuous line from Abraham through Moses and the prophets to Christ and beyond. In his view, those Jews who do not accept the gospel are the ones who have deviated and gone astray.
Nevertheless, Paul is the great non-conformist of the early Christian church. We cannot place him in Palestinian Jewish Christianity. Paul represents Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) Christianity. Were it not for Paul, Christianity would have remained a sect within Judaism. Paul was called by Christ to take the gospel to the Gentiles, and this could be called “a second beginning” for Christianity.
This is the main reason we see such tension in Paul’s life and letters. He was breaking new ground, deviating from the Jewish Christian path into the wider Gentile world. Most of his enemies and opponents were Christians. Most of his arguments were with people inside the Christian movement. Thus in Paul we see the stress of a fledging religious movement trying to define itself. Paul is the “genius” behind Hellenistic Christianity, and he paid a price for this.
Paul is interesting, though not always likable. He is impressive, though not always convincing. He is wrong at times, but he is never shallow.
I'm convinced that the institutional church has never understood Paul and his gospel of freedom in Christ. The only way the institutional church can use Paul is by misinterpreting him! Otherwise Paul is too de-stabilizing. Church bureaucrats must water him down. Whenever Christianity gets dull and boring, you can be sure we've lost touch with Paul and that we don't understand him at all.
December 23, 2009
What's up with the ox and donkey?
I don’t know why, but Christmas makes me think of Walgreens. I don’t buy Christmas presents at Walgreens, but if you want to observe Christmas clutter at its best (and worst), go into a Walgreens this time of year.
Even our homey manger scenes are cluttered with shepherds, sheep, three wise men, camels, an ox, and a donkey. It’s like people dropping in unexpectedly with their pets during Christmas, and it’s impolite to tell them to go away. Christmas and clutter go together, even in the manger.
But what’s up with the ox and the donkey? The deeper question is about our need to embellish what is a very sparse story about Jesus’ birth. We’ve cluttered the Christmas story with so many novelistic details that it looks like a fireplace mantel crammed with too many trinkets.
Read Matthew and Luke: no ox or donkey in the manger. How did they get there? Who thought up the barnyard scene? One of my favorite Christmas carols is “What Child is This?” That song says, “Why lies he in such mean estate, where ox and ass are feeding?” I like the picture. It offers a very sweet, childlike image. It brings out my sentimental side, yet it points to a potential clutter issue in the manger.
It might be kind of a shock to know that the ox and donkey were placed in the manger by a Gnostic Gospel from the 8th century called “The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew.” This thing is long and dull and silly. But in Chapter 14 of Pseudo-Matthew we read, “The very animals, therefore, the ox and the ass, having Him in their midst, incessantly adored Him.” Okay, so the ox and donkey incessantly adore the baby Jesus. Why?
Well, it’s because Isaiah supposedly prophesied this when he wrote, “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand” (Isa 1:3). This is about the manger? Yes, according to the romantic version of the manger based on Pseudo-Matthew. I think we would agree that this is stretching scripture a tad!
Enough. Back to Christmas clutter. Walgreens is cluttered. Our houses are probably cluttered. We’ve even cluttered the manger with animals that weren’t really there in the first place. And perhaps we’ve cluttered the story of Jesus himself with non-essentials.
The key to a Christ-filled Christmas? Get rid of the clutter and “incessantly adore” Jesus. Cut through the novelties and embellishments and receive Christ himself by faith.
Even our homey manger scenes are cluttered with shepherds, sheep, three wise men, camels, an ox, and a donkey. It’s like people dropping in unexpectedly with their pets during Christmas, and it’s impolite to tell them to go away. Christmas and clutter go together, even in the manger.
But what’s up with the ox and the donkey? The deeper question is about our need to embellish what is a very sparse story about Jesus’ birth. We’ve cluttered the Christmas story with so many novelistic details that it looks like a fireplace mantel crammed with too many trinkets.
Read Matthew and Luke: no ox or donkey in the manger. How did they get there? Who thought up the barnyard scene? One of my favorite Christmas carols is “What Child is This?” That song says, “Why lies he in such mean estate, where ox and ass are feeding?” I like the picture. It offers a very sweet, childlike image. It brings out my sentimental side, yet it points to a potential clutter issue in the manger.
It might be kind of a shock to know that the ox and donkey were placed in the manger by a Gnostic Gospel from the 8th century called “The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew.” This thing is long and dull and silly. But in Chapter 14 of Pseudo-Matthew we read, “The very animals, therefore, the ox and the ass, having Him in their midst, incessantly adored Him.” Okay, so the ox and donkey incessantly adore the baby Jesus. Why?
Well, it’s because Isaiah supposedly prophesied this when he wrote, “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand” (Isa 1:3). This is about the manger? Yes, according to the romantic version of the manger based on Pseudo-Matthew. I think we would agree that this is stretching scripture a tad!
Enough. Back to Christmas clutter. Walgreens is cluttered. Our houses are probably cluttered. We’ve even cluttered the manger with animals that weren’t really there in the first place. And perhaps we’ve cluttered the story of Jesus himself with non-essentials.
The key to a Christ-filled Christmas? Get rid of the clutter and “incessantly adore” Jesus. Cut through the novelties and embellishments and receive Christ himself by faith.
December 12, 2009
Advent: Expanding the Horizon of Hope
For Christians, Advent is the season of expectation and hope. We are all busy doing stuff to get ready for Christmas. We are hanging Christmas decorations, setting up the tree, baking cookies, buying presents, fighting traffic, and shoveling a lot of snow!
What are we hoping for this Advent? When it’s all over, when Christmas is done, what was it all about? What are we expecting this year? Perhaps we need to go deeper into Advent hope and expand our horizon of hope . . . and get in touch with the big picture.
The Bible is a history of expectation. Because God is in charge of history, human history is heading somewhere. History is more than fate, contingency, and disjointed events. The Bible is “salvation history.” It is history interpreted from the perspective of God’s overall plan. Jews and Christians are rooted in this history, rooted in the biblical view of history. It is the acute awareness of God within history that characterizes Judaism and Christianity. This history is a history of expectation: God’s future is always on the way!
The biblical vision gradually broadens from the particular to the universal, from Israel to “the nations,” and from the mundane and temporal to the cosmic and eternal. We move from the original creation to “the new creation.” We move from a literal Jewish messiah to a cosmic Christ, a universal redeemer. In the Bible we can find narrow-minded Jewish nationalism and narrow-minded Christian sectarianism. But the thrust of the Bible as a whole is toward the cosmic, the eternal, and the universal. God wants to save the world and all creation, not only Jews and Christians!
In other words, hope keeps expanding as the horizon of salvation keeps expanding. Expectation increases, since no historical moment can contain or exhaust the fullness of God. History itself is moving toward that fullness: the kingdom of God.
Advent hope is broad, expansive, and inclusive. It goes beyond “my family” or “my church” or “my kind of people.” Advent hope goes beyond partisanship and sectarianism; it goes beyond “group think” or “us versus them.”
When it’s all over and Christmas is done, will our hope be larger? Will our vision of salvation be broader? Will we have expanded our compassion beyond our own kind to those who differ most from us? The Savior that was born in Bethlehem has a lot more on his mind than my presents, my house, my church, my country, or my kind of people.
What are we hoping for this Advent? When it’s all over, when Christmas is done, what was it all about? What are we expecting this year? Perhaps we need to go deeper into Advent hope and expand our horizon of hope . . . and get in touch with the big picture.
The Bible is a history of expectation. Because God is in charge of history, human history is heading somewhere. History is more than fate, contingency, and disjointed events. The Bible is “salvation history.” It is history interpreted from the perspective of God’s overall plan. Jews and Christians are rooted in this history, rooted in the biblical view of history. It is the acute awareness of God within history that characterizes Judaism and Christianity. This history is a history of expectation: God’s future is always on the way!
The biblical vision gradually broadens from the particular to the universal, from Israel to “the nations,” and from the mundane and temporal to the cosmic and eternal. We move from the original creation to “the new creation.” We move from a literal Jewish messiah to a cosmic Christ, a universal redeemer. In the Bible we can find narrow-minded Jewish nationalism and narrow-minded Christian sectarianism. But the thrust of the Bible as a whole is toward the cosmic, the eternal, and the universal. God wants to save the world and all creation, not only Jews and Christians!
In other words, hope keeps expanding as the horizon of salvation keeps expanding. Expectation increases, since no historical moment can contain or exhaust the fullness of God. History itself is moving toward that fullness: the kingdom of God.
Advent hope is broad, expansive, and inclusive. It goes beyond “my family” or “my church” or “my kind of people.” Advent hope goes beyond partisanship and sectarianism; it goes beyond “group think” or “us versus them.”
When it’s all over and Christmas is done, will our hope be larger? Will our vision of salvation be broader? Will we have expanded our compassion beyond our own kind to those who differ most from us? The Savior that was born in Bethlehem has a lot more on his mind than my presents, my house, my church, my country, or my kind of people.
December 1, 2009
December: the month of anticipation
When I was a kid, the coming of Santa Claus blended vaguely in my mind with the coming of Christ. December was a mixture of Santa and the baby Jesus, just like the weather was a mix of snow and slop. I was filled with anticipation!
Think of the animals involved, too. Reindeer from the North Pole, Mary riding to Bethlehem on a donkey, shepherds arriving with their sheep . . . Baaaah! All creation seemed to be getting into the spirit. Even the smiling animals were crammed into my December expectations.
Our family Christmas tree stood near our little manger scene without any sense of cognitive dissonance whatsoever. It all seemed so logical and natural. I embraced two forms of hope: secular and sacred. Why not? It was all about me anyway! Santa was coming to please me. Jesus was born to save me. December was about me, me, me.
In high school I had a girlfriend. Then December became all about us. Buying presents for her; her buying presents for me. Us, us, us.
At that time I could not imagine 2009 and being 57 years old. I could not imagine the death of my parents, going to bed at 9pm, aching muscles in the morning, or being a hospice chaplain and serving people who would not live through December—who would not live to see another Christmas.
I could not imagine 10% unemployment in America, 36 million Americans without health insurance, and 25% of American children living on food stamps. Half the kids in New Orleans and St. Louis are on food stamps.
Santa and Jesus have a huge month ahead of them. While millions of people will shop at malls, millions more will be visiting food pantries and thrift shops, and sleeping on sofas at someone else’s house. Some kids will get lots of presents, like I did. Others will get only one or two, if any.
Yet good people will step up and collect food baskets and wrap presents for the less fortunate. Millions of caring people will go the extra mile for others. They will sacrifice time, energy, and money to do good for those who are struggling to make ends meet.
In secular terms, we are Santa’s helpers. In Christian terms, we are the hands and feet of Christ. In human terms, we are humans in solidarity with other humans who are suffering.
December is not about me anymore. That ended years ago. December is about bringing hope to the hopeless. December is the month of anticipation: anticipating the needs of others and doing something about it. This is what God did when he sent Jesus into our world. Like mercy, Jesus always runs toward the screaming.
--Brad
Think of the animals involved, too. Reindeer from the North Pole, Mary riding to Bethlehem on a donkey, shepherds arriving with their sheep . . . Baaaah! All creation seemed to be getting into the spirit. Even the smiling animals were crammed into my December expectations.
Our family Christmas tree stood near our little manger scene without any sense of cognitive dissonance whatsoever. It all seemed so logical and natural. I embraced two forms of hope: secular and sacred. Why not? It was all about me anyway! Santa was coming to please me. Jesus was born to save me. December was about me, me, me.
In high school I had a girlfriend. Then December became all about us. Buying presents for her; her buying presents for me. Us, us, us.
At that time I could not imagine 2009 and being 57 years old. I could not imagine the death of my parents, going to bed at 9pm, aching muscles in the morning, or being a hospice chaplain and serving people who would not live through December—who would not live to see another Christmas.
I could not imagine 10% unemployment in America, 36 million Americans without health insurance, and 25% of American children living on food stamps. Half the kids in New Orleans and St. Louis are on food stamps.
Santa and Jesus have a huge month ahead of them. While millions of people will shop at malls, millions more will be visiting food pantries and thrift shops, and sleeping on sofas at someone else’s house. Some kids will get lots of presents, like I did. Others will get only one or two, if any.
Yet good people will step up and collect food baskets and wrap presents for the less fortunate. Millions of caring people will go the extra mile for others. They will sacrifice time, energy, and money to do good for those who are struggling to make ends meet.
In secular terms, we are Santa’s helpers. In Christian terms, we are the hands and feet of Christ. In human terms, we are humans in solidarity with other humans who are suffering.
December is not about me anymore. That ended years ago. December is about bringing hope to the hopeless. December is the month of anticipation: anticipating the needs of others and doing something about it. This is what God did when he sent Jesus into our world. Like mercy, Jesus always runs toward the screaming.
--Brad
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