Living Under Sharia Law

Below is an exchange I am having with a close friend of mine. I'll be sure to add his responses to this post as they come. I think it may be of interest to many who wrestle with issues of faithfulness to the the way of Christ in our post-9/11 world.

Friend:

Alright... I've been pondering this for some time and can't quite sort it out. I'd lik

e your take on

it so I can gauge if I'm sliding in the wrong direction... :-P (thought I'd start it off with a quick jab). What do you believe a western hemisphere Christian's response should be to Islam's rapidly expanding Jihad (violence and/or politically) that seeks to ultimately establish their Sharia law as universal as Mohamed prophesied and commanded?

My response:

That's a fair question, friend! And it certainly deserves to be taken seriously. I'll give some initial thoughts and then be eager to hear your response. (Let's hope this can be a respectful dialog rather than what some of our former facebook exchanges have been like... and I'm not just blaming you there). First, I need to say that I don't think you'll find my answers very satisfactory because we have some radically different theological assumptions and biblical interpretations, but I'll at least be honest to answer from my own perspective -- which is all I can do.

I would start by questioning how really serious the threat you mentioned actually is. I know that there are some Islamic radicals who hold the views you describe, but I think they are a very small minority. The vast majority of the Muslim world does not read the Qur'an in the way that Osama bin Laden, et al. do. I think there is a lot of fear-mongering out there in the media that points to the most radical opinions on earth and then claims them to be more widespread than they actually are. Look at a nation like Turkey -- an almost completely Islamic nation, but I think you'll find radical attitudes about Sharia law very rare throughout that entire nation. I believe that the vast majority of Muslims are peace-loving people and that violent jihad is only one interpretation that a few radicals cling to. Of course, you could dispute this, but I think the very fact that there are nearly a billion Muslims in our world set next to the relatively few acts of terrorism perpetrated by those billion people indicates that terrorism in the the name of jihad is the position of an extreme minority. Most Muslim scholars insist that Islam is a religion that values peace... and I agree.

But with that aside, I do think we need to be concerned about that small minority that see it as their religious duty to kill the infidels. (You could point to recent Irish history in which Protestants and Catholics had the same views for one another, by the way. So Christians are not immune to this disease of hatred.) In one sense, I think that the nation-state will do what the nation-state will do. It will spend enormous amounts of money in order to protect us, it will fight its preemptive wars, it will do its wire taps... and there isn't a whole lot I can do about all of that as an individual person. So in a sense I think my opinion about how the government should act is something of a moot point.

In my own worldview, however, I believe that at the very center of all of creation is a bleeding, suffering Lamb. The fabric of the universe --real reality -- is disclosed in the cross and the non-violence that the cross reveals about the heart of God. Think about this. The first three hundred years of Christianity were lived under the thumb of an oppressive, pagan empire that demanded worship of false gods. Christians in those centuries saw it as their duty to primarily remain faithful witnesses (the Greek is "martyrios" from which we get "martyr") in the face of empire. They did not see their job to be to seize governmental power, infiltrate the senate, and legislate policies that would direct Rome into a "Christian nation." That would have been unthinkable and, even if it were possible, many would have said that it shouldn't be done in the first place. Instead, they believed their role was to live out the radical, non-violent love of Jesus even at the cost of their very lives. And by doing so they bore witness to the Lamb Who Was Slain. They stood apart from the empire precisely in the fact that they refused to take up the sword even when their lives were threatened. To participate in the violence of the world would be to deny the gospel itself -- or so Christians thought in those days.

Now suppose (worst case scenario and all of the fear-mongers' predictions come true) that radical Muslims conquer America and force us to abide by Sharia Law (although I can't see that happening anytime soon). What would my response be? Of course, I would lament the removal of my political freedoms. But it would not change my faithfulness to the way of Jesus in the least. I would see my life as a recapitulation of those Christians in the first centuries of our faith. I might be persecuted, I might die, but it would be an opportunity to show my oppressors the radical love of Jesus that refuses to return violence with violence. And that, in light of eternity, is completely worth it. And talk about being an evangelical witness! Such a response would certainly strike the hearts of many Muslims!

In other words, the nations will war with one another. Empires will come and go. America may or may not remain the power over me for the remainder of my life... but my responsibility to walk in the pattern of Jesus, to turn the other cheek, to put away my sword, to not take revenge but instead leave room for God's wrath, to suffer alongside the suffering Lamb -- will all remain the same.

I realize this view is a very radical answer and might seem way "out of the box" in light of current political debates and theories. But, in my own interpretation, it is more faithful to Scripture than engaging in the games of the powers and principalities of this dark world. I think when Constantine established the Holy Roman Empire in 313 AD, the purity of the church was deeply wounded. We're still living with his decision to wed worldly military power with the Christian faith. I reject that marriage as an impure version of The Way. And for a far more articulate manifesto on what I've just stated, I would refer you to John Howard Yoder's radical book "The Politics of Jesus" or some secondary sources on his thought.

In short, I'm not going to loose any sleep over those few Islamic fanatics out there. Not because they don't pose a threat, but because the way I will choose to live under the guidance of the gospel will not change even if they DO threaten my way of life.

I hope that makes a little bit of sense to you. I think the fundamental questions that we need to be asking are, "What is the gospel? What implications does it have on my relationship to the political world? Could the current Constantinian wedding of state power and faith be harmful? And do I really believe that perfect love drives out all fear?"

I'll be delighted to hear your response and am certainly open to your disagreements. I promise to consider your opinions seriously if you do the same for me.

Grace and Peace,
Greg

The Activist Mystic

I'm hoping to get back to blogging more frequently now that I'm finished with the first draft of my project for Wesleyan Publishing House. Also, I made a conscious decision to stop blogging when I feel really depressed. I don't want my blog to be a downer for everyone who reads and so part of the reason for the infrequency of my entries is because I have been wrestling with depression quite a bit lately.

I write a lot about ministry in the inner city. I don't do it to impress anyone. I just do it because it's my life right now and because I hope I will offer something that might cause someone else to pause and reflect for a moment about the mission of God in the world, about the Christ among the least of these, and about the kingdom coming down. If nothing else, perhaps I provide a voice that someone else in similar circumstances can relate to.

Last night I read a wonderful chapter from Henri Nouwen's book Here and Now: Living in the Spirit. Here is a short excerpt:

"The more I think about the human suffering in our world and my desire to offer a healing response, the more I realize how crucial it is not to allow myself to become paralyzed by feelings of impotence and guilt. More important than ever is to be very faithful to my vocation to do well the few things I am called to do and hold on to the joy and peace that they bring me. I must resist the temptation to let the forces of darkness pull me into despair and make me one more of their many victims. I have to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and on those who followed him and trust that I will know how to live out my mission to be a sign of hope in this world" (46-47).

I can relate perfectly with what Nouwen has written here. Sometimes the level of need around me is so great that I literally begin to feel a weight around my shoulders -- an intangible oppressiveness and heaviness that I cannot shake off. The lack of beauty, the desperation and despair, the violence -- it all has a cumulative effect of making me lose sight of hope at times. What can I do in the face of such overwhelming problems? Am I really so naive as to think I can make a difference here? And if I'm not making a difference, then why not just get out and live a more comfortable life? When these questions enter my mind (and they do almost daily), I must sit and just breathe and realize that I cannot allow myself to become "paralyzed by feelings of impotence and guilt."

This is why I am more convinced than ever that an activist (by which I mean a Christian who lives out his or her spirituality by trying to make an impact on the political, social, economic, and spiritual struggles of mankind) must first and foremost be a mystic (by which I mean someone who regularly practices contemplation, meditation, silence, solitude, prayer, study, and an inner craving for the heart for God). Often the two seem divided: the former are the do-gooder community organizers or social workers and the ladder are those monks hidden away in their cloisters. Yet I am convinced that to remain an activist (and I consider myself to at least be an aspiring one), I must first be a mystic. Otherwise, I run out of gas and have nothing to offer. To rest in the infinite love of God -- that is the source for all outward action and all social justice. The second that I forget that, I become no more than an ant struggling to free himself from a gallon of syrup.

Make me a mystic, O God. And from that inner life with You, help me to flow outwardly as one of Your agents in the world. Amen.

A Gripe

Any husband who has the least bit of love or pity for his wife will be infuriated if he sees her come home in tears. Well, I’m infuriated. So here’s my story.

For the last two years my two daughters have been on Medicaid because I made the decision to take a low paying job in the inner city with the hopes of helping people in poverty. I believe in walking in the shoes of those to whom we’re trying to reach and to suffer with those who suffer – at least a little. Well, I have felt their pain.

My wife and I are very competent and responsible people. I have the luxury of a master’s degree and my wife a B. A. And every time that the Medicaid office has requested some paperwork or identification or birth certificates or check stubs or proof of my wife’s unemployment, we are always very quick to comply. But over the past two years, our paperwork has been repeatedly (and I’m talking about at least a half dozen times) “misplaced” by those who work at the Medicaid office. We have sent it in the mail and, when that failed, we have personally driven to their office in downtown Indy and handed it to them in person. Yet is somehow seems to disappear. One time… ok; everyone makes mistakes. Twice… their boss should offer a stern reprimand for negligence. Six or more times… whoever is so incompetent as to do that needs to find a new job.

A year ago one of my daughters became very ill and we were hammered with a $420 medical bill. Supposedly, she was covered by Medicaid. But no, her coverage had been revoked because they supposedly did not have the necessary paperwork (and they failed to notify of this fact). So for the next nine months we fought this. We refused to pay that bill because we knew it wasn’t our fault. We left voicemails, we left notes in their mailbox, we went to their offices and waited for sometimes up to three hours. No dice. We never once got a call back. We never once got any form of a response. And our daughter remained uninsured.

Meanwhile, I noticed that we stopped getting offers for credit cards in the mail. It seemed odd to me because we’d always been getting them. I got curious and ran a free credit report. Interestingly, our credit report had been damaged and we know there is only one reason why: that darn doctor’s bill was so delinquent. I was advised to never pay the bill because then we’d NEVER see the money again even if Medicaid was proven responsible. But after seeing our credit report damaged and after nearly a year of constant, persistent efforts to right this wrong, I finally caved in and wrote the check.

So three weeks ago we were notified that we needed to fill out new paperwork. I did so with meticulous care. But guess what? It was somehow “lost in the mail.” Now both of our daughters are uninsured and sick. We can’t take them to the doctor because we don’t want to shell out another $400 or more.

That brings us to today. My wife simply wanted to tell the caseworker that there must have been some mistake because we know we sent in the paperwork. She waited all morning. No one came. She pleaded. No one came. She even went back to the offices and started knocking on doors. No response except one: a guard came and escorted her back to the lobby. At this point my sweet, polite wife started balling in front of a room filled with people. She pleaded with the guard to help her actually speak to a real human being who could right this injustice. He said that there was nothing he could do. She left for home having seen no one. Another morning wasted – just like the umpteen mornings before.

I’m at a loss to know that to do. It’s all so sickening. After two dozen voicemails left over a period of two years and no responses, you begin to wonder if anyone is even listening. Now I have sick girls and a crying wife and a case worker who doesn’t exist.

I’m tempted to stalk her. Show up at her home or call her at midnight just to see if she really exists. I am totally at a loss. My wife has taken to writing editorials for the newspaper in hopes that something will be done. Meanwhile, I’m seething and waiting for my head to clear until I can think clearly of a course of action.

Is it any wonder why the poor feel so helpless? They are quite literally treated like animals. Everything communicates to them that they are merely a nuisance, a leech on society. And they start to believe it. If my wife and I, educated and responsible as we are, can’t get justice, then how on earth will they? I know that there are worse travesties in the world. And our little situation doesn’t even compare to the politically oppressed of China, the persecuted Christians of India, or the hellish situation in Darfur. But this is America, darn it. We’re supposed to be better than this.

Through this ordeal I’ve learned one thing for sure: it really sucks to be poor.

Free Methodism and the Poor

Last Thursday I gave a presentation to the Family Camp of the Wabash Conference that I am part of. I'm posting this because a number of people asked to have access to it. It is free for anyone to use.

View it at this link:

PowerPoint Presentation: Free Methodism and Ministry to the Poor

Feature Story

Spades Park Library from M Stewart on Vimeo.

Inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr.

I've recently picked up a book by Philip Yancey that my father bought for me a couple months ago for my birthday. It's called "Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church." I have to admit that I feared Yancey would be too "evangelical" for my liking, but I have been pleasantly surprised at what I've found. Here is a man who is genuine, who has been hurt deeply by dysfunctional religion in ways I've never come close to, and who is earnestly willing to follow the truth wherever it may lead.

For those of you who know me, you might be aware that I'm going through some tough times. I'm struggling with my daily walk with the Lord and feel under attack each day. Ministry has been grueling; the inner city has been overwhelming; my spiritual disciplines have been eroding. But today as I read in Yancey's book about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. (one of the thirteen), I was moved to tears. In fact, if I hadn't been sitting in a public place, I would have been weeping. So today for my blog entry, I just offer an except from Soul Survivor:

"[One night after being released from the Montgomery City Jail at the age of 26] King, shaken by his first jail experience, sat up in his kitchen wondering if he could take it any more. Should he resign? It was around midnight. He felt agitated, and full of fear. A few minutes before the phone had rung. "Nigger, we are tired of you and your mess now. And if you aren't out of this town in three days, we're going to blow your brains out, and blow up your house."

King sat staring at an untouched cup of coffee and tried to think of a way out, a way to quietly surrender leadership and resume the serene life of scholarship he had planned. In the next room lay his wife Coretta, already asleep, along with their newborn daughter Yolanda. Here is how King remembers it in a sermon he preached:

'And I sat at that table thinking about that little girl and thinking about the fact that she could be taken away from me any minute. And I started thinking about a dedicated, devoted and loyal wife, who was over there asleep... And I got to the point that I couldn't take it anymore. I was weak...

And I discovered then that religion had to become real to me, and I had to know God for myself. And I bowed down over that cup of coffee. I will never forget it... I prayed a prayer, and I prayed out loud that night. I said, "Lord, I'm down here trying to do what's right. I think I'm right. I think the cause that we represent is right. But Lord, I must confess that I'm weak now. I'm faltering. I'm losing my courage."

.... And it seemed at that moment that I could hear an inner voice saying to me, "Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And lo I will be with you, even until the end of the world." ... I heard the voice of Jesus saying still to fight on. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. No never alone. No never alone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.'

Three nights later, as promised, a bomb exploded on the front porch of King's home, filling the house with smoke and broken glass but injuring no one. King took it calmly: 'My religious experience a few nights before had given me the strength to face it'" (20-21).

I don't dare compare myself to the great Martin Luther King Jr. He was a prophet of the first order. But as I read his story... that he was only in his twenties (as I still am for another 10 months), about his fears for his little girl and wife, his weakness and loss of courage, and his desire to retreat to a "serene life of scholarship" (all of which I can relate to perfectly), I was deeply impacted by the simple message given to him by God: "I am with you."

That's really all anyone ever needs. We don't need a home or clothing or a car to drive. We don't need food or water or air. But we do need God with us. Today I realize that that is the one thing I need. And I have it.

Midrash: Luke 1:46-55

The Jewish rabbis have it right. For centuries, they've been telling us that we don't just "read the Bible as it is" -- we are always interpreting the text whether we're aware of it or not. It's actually an insight that only recently mainstream scholars in both biblical studies as well as in literature have come to accept. The French postmodern Derrida has helped us to see this. And, although I don't agree with him in his extreme arguments that all meaning lies within us rather than within the text, his observations are entirely accurate inasmuch as they make us aware of our own theological biases and the inability of us to transcend those biases.

The Jews have a long tradition of what they call midrash. A midrash is an extended , very loose paraphrase of the sacred texts which makes explicit the ways the reader interprets what she reads. (Ha'aretz, the oldest news daily of Israel, offers a better definition: "Midrash is a way of interpreting biblical stories that goes beyond simple distillation of religious, legal or moral teachings. It fills in many gaps left in the biblical narrative regarding events and personalities that are only hinted at.")

I recognize that some conservative Christians who think of the Bible as some immutable, purely divine document handed down from on high with little or no human influence (much as Muslims view the Qu'ran) will be uncomfortable with the seemingly biased nature of midrash. Nevertheless, I find it to be a helpful practice on many levels since it elucidates the way we read the text, makes us aware of our own biases, and expounds upon the Scripture in a manner similar to what preachers do every Sunday.

As a side note, I was introduced to the practice of midrash by two Christians, Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat, in their wonderful book called Colossians Remixed that I highly recommend to anyone. So, with fear and trembling, I am trying my hand at midrash for the first time. Eventually, I might even do one on the entirety of Luke-Acts (since those are my favorite books of the Bible and the ones I've studied the most in an academic manner).

Below is a midrash on Luke 1:46-55, known as Mary's Song or the Magnificat.

*******

Unable to contain herself any longer, the virgin Mary broke out into song and this is what she declared:

The innermost depth of my soul -- that part of me which makes me human and sets me apart from animal creation -- is compelled to sing glories and praises to YHWH, my God.

The breath within my lungs -- which animated to life the first man Adam from the dust -- aches to scream praises and honor to the Saving God whom I serve --

For he, yes YHWH the Unspeakable One, has actually turned his attention, his Divine Mind to me -- a lowly, humble, insignificant young woman of no social standing without any prestige to my name.

Because of what He has done, generation upon generation will remember the name "Mary" and declare that I am honored and favored by God Almighty.

And why will people honor me for centuries to come? Because the strong and mighty One who defends me against the proud has looked at me with favor. He has decided to choose me and to delight in me. Oh how sacred His Name is to me!

To those who show Him the awe and honor that is due to Him, YHWH has proven merciful and faithful throughout the ages from one generation to another.

God's arm is strong. He actively works in this world to bring about justice on behalf of those who are powerless.

Those who are arrogant are brought low by Him. Those who think they control the world because they have large bank accounts or plenty of lobbyists -- those who handle politicians like puppets on a string and think that the rules do not apply to them -- those who trust in their own power and make a mockery of the poor and powerless -- those who sit on the thrones of kings and make decrees that change the lives of millions of unseen people -- those who place money and power above all else: these people are being and will be brought low by my God. Such so-called "rulers and authorities" will in the end learn that all of their self-aggrandizing will amount to nothing.

And in their place, who will God put into positions of honor, power, and authority? Silly little girls like myself who were once thought to have no significance. He will raise up the orphan in China. He will raise up the sex slaves in Thailand. He will raise us the Dalits ("Untouchables") of India. He will raise up the unborn baby that never had a voice. He will raise up the poor in urban centers of wealthy nations who have been caught in systems of oppression created by those with power. He will raise up the lowly even as He brings down the powerful.

Those who go hungry at night and know the pangs of thirst as they fall asleep will be invited to a grand banquet -- the likes of which has never been seen by even the richest corporate executive. The hungry will hunger no more. They will eat fine foods and drink fine wines late into the night.

Meanwhile, those who once thought of the world as their playground will go away in hunger, destitution, and poverty. The wealthy and powerful will have the rug pulled out from under them and they will have nothing, NOTHING left to stand on.

YHWH made a promise to Abraham and his children centuries ago. And although it may seems as though He has long since forgotten that promise, He has not. The nation that cries out to God, "Where are you? How long, O Lord?" will once again break out into jubilant song and dance when they realize that YHWH has remembered them and shown mercy to them and uplifted them from their pit. The merciful protection of God is still upon his people like myself who place their trust in him. The oppressed shall go free and the oppressor shall be brought low.

I cannot help but sing.

Books or Basketball?

I was pleased to see that they used something I said in this story.

Blessed are the Peacemakers...

I'm seriously wondering if these people read the same Bible I do. Get serious. When these people speak of "the gospel" they mean something totally foreign to my mind.

Two More Spotlights

http://www.nuvo.net/nuvo/closings-loom-for-libraries/Content?oid=1354794

Conscientious Objector

I thought I would make this letter public since I do that sort of thing.

- Greg

**************

April 28, 2010

To the Wabash Conference of the Free Methodist Church of North America:

I am here declaring my right to register officially with the Free Methodist Church as a conscientious objector to war in accordance with the Book of Discipline Section A, Paragraph 332.3 (1995 Book of Discipline).

Briefly stated, after several years of intense study on the morality of war, I have concluded that Christ calls his followers to a nonviolent, alternative way of life which upholds the suffering cross as our example rather than military power or national flags. I believe Christians are called to resist evil, but to do so without entering into the very violence that the world condones. Many of Jesus’ teachings seem to me to be quite clear on this point, especially in his famous Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.

I renounce the desire to control the course of history as misguided and commit myself to fidelity to God’s sovereign purposes even at the cost of my own life. We worship and imitate the Lamb Who Was Slain. On the cross, Christ redefined the meaning of “power” and revealed to us that the ultimate redemption of creation is laid on the foundation of self-giving, suffering love for the sake of the Other rather than upon retaliation.

Violence is cyclical. This has been demonstrated through all of world history and I am convinced that, among his many other missions, Christ came to teach us how to break out of the cycle of violence that has existed since Cain and Abel. Although not a professing Christian, I certainly agree with the insight of Mahatma Ghandi who said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and the whole world would soon be blind and toothless.” Forgiveness breaks the cycle and puts an end to it. We, as the people of God, must have such a radical trust in the power of God and his resurrection that we would rather die than participate in the violence introduced to the world through sin.

Lastly, I believe that blind patriotism and sworn oaths of loyalty to a nation-state can compromise the Christian position. The agenda of God’s kingdom does not always align itself with the agenda of the United States or any other nation. For this reason, I prefer to swear no loyalty or allegiance to my nation lest it compromise my citizenry in a sacred country – the peaceable kingdom. Hence, I would find it a violation of my moral conscience to enter into the military or even public office for fear that it could divide my loyalty and put me in a position of moral compromise.

Respectfully Submitted,

Gregory R. Coates

The Job of a Pastor

Having been a pastor for almost two years now, I have a newfound respect for those women and men of the cloth. Here is the role of the pastor:

Resident scholar of theology and Bible, orator, self-help guide, counselor, administrator, motivator of unpaid volunteers, prayer warrior, living example of how Christ lived, counselor, close confidante, friend, the one who kisses all babies and asks how everyone's grandmothers are doing requiring a very good memory -- and one who is NEVER allowed to forget a name, one who must smile even when hurting inside, worship leader, Scripture reader, musician and/or connected to musical friends to prod into the position, sometimes janitor, computer tech guru, Mr. Fix-it, work-day organizer, perfect husband and father (no outbursts of anger allowed), one who keeps regular office hours, one who is always interruptable, one who changes the batteries in the wireless microphones, back-up sound booth worker, power-point creator, absorber of insults and anger, peacemaker among those who have no desire for peace, reconciler between enemies, solitary monk and the one who knows everyone, host for new members who eat lunch after church, political activist, community leader, one who serves on multiple conference boards, paper-work filler-outer, contact for insurance companies and phone bill companies and banks and disgruntled neighborhood dwellers, voracious reader of new Christian books, keenly aware of the vast body of classical literature (for sermons), youth worker and mentor, one who takes out the recycling bins, mopper, sweeper, and duster, charismatic leader, one who is funny, one who is serious, visionary, prophet, mild and timid listener, and the list goes on...

I'm not complaining. I love my job. But most people seem to think the pastor works one day each week. Think again.

I found this and it is even better than what I've written:

WANTED: SENIOR PASTOR
Handsome pastor needed to preach 10 minutes each Sunday. You will be
working daily from 8 a.m. until midnight. The perfect candidate will have a
burning desire to work with teenagers, and he will spend most of this time with
the senior citizens. He will smile all the time with a straight face because he has
a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his church. He will
condemn sin but never hurt anyone’s feelings. Attendance at all church
meetings is required. The perfect candidate will make at least fifteen home visits
per day and will always be in his office to be available should an emergency
arise. Preference will be given to a young pastor with 15-20 years of experience.
Some light janitorial duties required.

In the news again...

The fight continues. I don't know why they pick me to speak in their clips. I'm so monotone.

Even better...

Even better, my wife's voice has been heard through the letters to the editor in the Sunday edition of the Indianapolis Star. I'm so proud of you, honey!!!

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100418/OPINION01/4180346/1031/Branch-backers-want-doors-open-Don-t-forget-precious-ones

Woohoo! I made my voice heard!

Dorothy

Dorothy, when I first met you, you scared me. You were so rough, so ghetto, so very, very black. Your heavy African-American dialect was almost a foreign language to me. And the anger behind your eyes betrayed a deep hurt; a past I feared to even peek into (only much later did I learn about the father who would beat your senseless with an extension cord). When you got in my face and yelled at me after being in the inner city for only a week, I thought, "Well, Greg, you're not in Kansas anymore." You awakened me to a world of darkness and hatred and bitter animosity. I must say that your words were hurtful. The gruff, calloused tone you used with me made me feel belittled and childish and I wanted to retreat to suburbia where people are decent to each other. Sometimes you were downright out of control like when you stood up in church on a Sunday morning and berated your pastors for not visiting you often enough. We stood there -- shocked like deer in the headlights -- and took it. And licked our wounds later when the sanctuary emptied.

But then something or rather Someone did something to you. I don't know how. I confess I nearly stopped praying for you altogether. I had signed you off to darkness and thought God's grace too weak to permeate your thick hide.

I remember when you smiled at me for the first time -- those ivory teeth shining through your beautiful black face. Soon you began to joke with me and I learned to joke back. And when I dished it in return, you would rear your head back and roar with laughter. Somehow deep down a Healer was at work in you. I knew it wasn't me. But the walls were coming down.

Today, Dorothy, you're a new woman. Sure, you're still pretty rough around the edges and you still need to learn to keep your big mouth shut sometimes. But, darn it, you're fun to be around. Now when you gripe about how rotten your day has been I can see a twinkle in your eye and a smirk on your face. You've met Jesus and He's changed you. Now when you speak your rapid fire ghetto talk at me I can understand you better and I hear it loud and clear when you declare, "I love you, pastor." The first time you said it, it brought me to my knees in gratitude to God.

And then you called me last week. You were gushing. You sounded as giddy as a school girl on the first day of summer break. "Pastar, I just caint bu-lieve how GOOD God is to me! My grandbaby's gettin baptized and my whole family's gonna be there. We aint been togetha for twenty years! God's so GOOD. My grandbaby --she's sayin shes gonna start readin the bible and praying and going ta church and e'rythin. My own mama wanna come down from Chicaga's southside, but I tell her she caint do it since shes 72. Pastar, I aint never been so happy! God's done saved my whole family! I haven't been so thankful since before my son got shot in '87. I luv dis church and all the lovin people in it. And I love Jesus... He's so GOOD, so GOOD!"

Dorothy, pardon my saying so, but if God can save you, he can save anyone. And He's "done saved you." You keep telling me (with the force of a hurricane) every week that you want to become a full member of this church. Well, I'm going to make you one! Your not the alcoholic, swearing, demon-possessed, crack-mama you used to me. In fact, I think the technical term for what you're becoming is a "saint." And watching God do this in your life brings me to my knees and makes me weep with joy.

So tomorrow I'll baptize that granddaughter of yours and we'll sing and eat and celebrate the goodness of God! If this isn't the kingdom come down, I don't know what is.

Joy in the Ashes

Ash Wednesday is quickly becoming one of my favorite days of the year. Last night my small congregation, young and old alike, joined together for an evening of prayer, penitence, instruction about the meaning of lent, exhortation to fast, and the imposition of ashes. What a treat!

It's true that Ash Wednesday is somber. I joked with my congregation that you can't really go around saying, "Happy Ash Wednesday!" But in the midst of the solemnity is real joy. It is the joy that always comes from true penitence. Rending your heart because you know you've fallen short. Crying out to a merciful God that you know always shows mercy. Confessing sins before the entire congregation. Following in the tradition of the Ninevites who marked their heads with ashes as a sign of sorrow. But in the mist of the ashes is the deep joy of knowing that we serve a God who delights in the confessions of his people. He is a God that rejoices more over one sinner repenting than over ninety-nine who think they don't need to. In the penitence, is a profound hope for the future: hope that my life and your life can be different -- that our lives can be marked by victory and liberation and life to the full rather than defeat and bondage and darkness.

Last night I got to put ashes on the foreheads of about fifty people. They came to me one by one. Some of them smirking in embarrassment because it was unfamiliar. And some with tears streaming down their cheeks because they had been needing to do this for a long time. I made the sign of the cross on their heads and reminded each of them, "You were made from ashes and to ashes you shall return someday."

Something within us needs to openly acknowledge that we're all screwed up. Ash Wednesday is just such an acknowledgment. But it is more than that. It is an expression of hope that we won't always be that way. Within the ashes is a deep, rich, resonant hope that looks beyond the cross to that wonderful Sunday in our future.

The God Among Nonbelievers

I'm currently working on my first book as a co-author with my seminary friend Jeremy Summers to be published by Wesley Publishing House. It's intended to be a devotional guide for small groups focusing on a proper understanding of "the kingdom of God." I don't know if I'm supposed to do this (I might have to delete this post later), but here is the rough draft of my first chapter of the as yet untitled book.

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In the summer of 1998 I took a trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado with a couple of friends to attend a Christian camp. While there, one of the speakers made a strong claim. He said, “Only those who have been saved can do anything good. Good deeds are impossible for those who do not know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.”

But the more I thought about those words, the less they seemed to line up with my own expereinces. I started thinking of many of my non-Christian friends at high school who had treated me kindly – anywhere from buying me a soda to helping me with my homework. And more questions began to sprout: What about Gandhi? He wasn’t a Christian, but he did good things. And how about the entire Muslim world that provides billions of dollars to help the poor?[i] The more I thought about it, the less the speaker’s claim made sense to me.

Later that week we took a day away from the campground to climb Pike’s Peak. But those who have hiked tall mountains before know that altitude sickness is nothing to fool around with. The higher I climbed, the sicker I felt. Eventually when I reached the summit at 14,110 feet, I was feeling terrible. I remember actually laying down on the floor of the public restroom and not even caring about how dirty it was. I was miserable.

Then something wonderful happened. A man came up to me and asked if I would like a ride down the mountain in his van. My friends (also feeling ill) and I jumped at the chance to get back down to where humans were meant to live – in the land of oxygen. As we descended the windy, narrow roads of Pike’s Peak, I gradually started feeling better and was able to express my gratitude to this stranger who gave me a lift.

But I learned that the man who was helping me was not a Christian. Immediately the words of that speaker were in my head and I wondered, “But this is cleraly a good deed that this non-Christian is doing for me.” I haven’t forgotten that man – a Good Samaritan who confirmed for me that even the unsaved can do good things.

People love clear lines. We love to be able to draw a line between the good people and the bad people. When a nation goes to war, this is the first thing that it does. It paints the enemy as evil.[ii] And we, of course, are always the good guys. (It’s interesting to think about the fact that the other side is thinking the same thing.) Lines make us comfortable. They help us to simplify the world, to categorize it neatly in clearly defined packages. But there’s just one problem with the lines we make… they don’t always match up to reality.

The world isn’t as simple as “Christians = good; Non-Christians = bad.” In fact, we often find Christians doing horrible things and Non-Christians doing such good works that it puts many of us believers to shame. Our lines, we find, just don’t match up with the real world. The real world is much more blurry.

In the tenth chapter of the gospel of Luke Jesus is sending out his specially chosen missionaries to carry a message of peace and salvation to the world. “We’re the good guys,” the disciples must have been thinking, “and we’re going out to face the evil people.” But then Jesus says something really weird. As he’s giving them instructions before they leave, Jesus says, “And if a man of peace is there, then your peace will go and rest on him…” (Luke 10:6a).

“Hold on a second, Jesus. A man of peace? Out there!?! I thought we’re the ones carrying the message of peace! What do you mean that we might find people out there who already have peace!?!”

The use of the word “peace” in Luke is basically another word for “salvation.” It referred back to the Old Testament idea of shalom. It’s much more than just the absence of war. “Shalom” meant a harmonious community filled with happiness, security, plenty of food, and cooperation – basically the way the world was supposed to be.[iii] So it’s quite striking that Jesus tells his disciples that this shalom might already be out there in the world.

You see, the disciples had drawn a very clear line between themselves (good) and those they were sent to (bad). But Jesus, we find, is constantly blurring these lines. The pharisees thought they had it all figured out – that God loved those who kept all the rules to a “T.” But Jesus comes along and speaks well of tax collectors, prostitutes, half-breed Samaritans, and sinners. He even tells the Pharisees that these “dirty” people are entering the kingdom ahead of them (Matthew 21:31).

So here’s my point: Christians don’t have a monopoly on God.

Did you ever play the board game Monopoly? The reason it’s called “Monopoly” is because by the end of the game (if you ever manage to endure the six hours it takes to get there), one person has all the wealth and all the properties. And that’s what a monopoly is. In economics it happens “when a specific individual or an enterprise has sufficient control over a particular product or service to determine significantly the terms on which other individuals shall have access to it.” In short, one dude has all the stuff.

The disciples of Jesus always seemed to think that they and they alone had a monopoly on what God was doing. So when the disciples saw outsiders casting out demons (“bad” people doing a good thing), Jesus taught them, “whoever is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:40).

God is at work in strange and unexpected places. He’s not just the God of the Church; He’s the God of Creation. He’s not just revealing himself to those who confess the name of Jesus Christ; He’s revealing himself to those who haven’t even heard of Jesus before. John Wesley called this “prevenient grace” which simply means “the grace that goes before us.”[iv] In other words, long before any of us ever heard of Jesus or trusted in him for our salvation, he was already at work in our lives in ways that we may not have even been aware of.

That should impact the way we relate to the world. Rather than being the “know-it-alls” that are bringing truth to a pagan land, we can approach nonbelievers in humility recognizing that they too have God at work in their lives. We can learn from them.

Digging Deeper

Head

The Bible is filled with examples of how the grace of God is at work in unexpected places. In Jesus’ day the religious authorities drew very sharp lines between those who were “in” and those who were “out.” They used the Torah (the first five books of our Bible and the holiest of all Jewish Scriptures) to categorize people as either clean or unclean. Not to be crass, but, for example, women who were on their period were considered unclean and needed to be separated from the clean people. Read Leviticus 15:19-23 if you don’t believe me.

So with that in the back of your mind, read Mark 5:25-34. How would Jesus’ reaction to the bleeding woman have been different than the response of a good, law-abiding Pharisee? What does this teach us about Jesus’ understanding of clean and unclean?

We find that Jesus is constantly doing this: blurring the lines between those who are acceptable and those who are not. It really ticked off the Jewish authorities who had a vested interest in preserving the hierarchy.

Answer these questions as a group: What are some ways that we are guilty of drawing lines between the “acceptable” people and the “unacceptable” people? Do Christians do this? Does the Church? How would recognizing the fact that God is at work in all people change the way we talk with others and witness to nonbelievers?[v]

Heart

Think of a time when a non-Christian did something kind or loving to you and share it with your group. How did you respond? Did it surprise you that good works can be done by the “unsaved”?

Why do you think people prefer to draw clear lines between themselves and those who are different than them? What would it look like for Christians to stop thinking of themselves as better than others? Envision how nonbelievers might respond if Christians stopped being preachy and instead started listening to the stories of how God is already at work in the lives of others.

Stop and pray together for God to change the heart of his church from an attitude of pride to one of humility. Pray for your own eyes to be opened to the ways that God is at work in unexpected places.

Hand

Everyone loves to be listened to. Every Monday morning at my church we have a large group of people come into our sanctuary to receive some groceries from our food pantry. I am constantly amazed at how eager these people are to tell me about their lives – even the deep hurts and secret places of their journeys. Unfortunately, sometimes I get the impression that I’m one of the only people in their lives that really listen to what they have to say and ask questions to show my interest in what they’re telling me.

Commit yourself this week to lend an open ear to someone who has a story to tell (which is everyone). Perhaps you can jump-start a conversation by asking simple questions like “Where did you grow up?” or “What do you do for a living?” As the conversation progresses, you might be able to ask deeper questions such as “Do you think of yourself as being a spiritual person?” But don’t force it! Commit yourself to listening rather than directing the conversation. And as you listen, ask yourself if you see evidence of God already at work in his or her life.

Habits

Make it a habit to notice the good things that people do who may not think of themselves as good people. You might even consider jotting these things down in a small notepad, keeping a register of the ways you see God at work in the lives of those who don’t go to church, don’t talk the right way, and don’t dress the right way.

You can use the list you create in a couple of ways. First, you might be able to refer back to it as a reminder of the ways that God is at work in unexpected places and among unexpected people. Second, you could use the information to encourage those very people. Go up to her and say, “The other day I noticed that you gave Linda a ride. That was really nice of you. What made you do that?”

Before long, you will start to see how the peace of Christ is already at work in the lives of unbelievers. And this will give you a deeper appreciation for God’s prevenient grace – the grace that goes before us all.

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[i] Did you know that most Muslims are required to give at least 2.5% of their annual income to the poor? Check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Pillars_of_Islam

[ii] Gregory A. Boyd elaborates on this in his excellent book The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005). See especially chapter 4 called “From Resident Aliens to Conquering Warlords.”

[iii] Refer to Joel B. Green’s The Gospel of Luke in the New International Commentary on the New Testament Series. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997): 413-414.

[iv] John Wesley develops this idea in his sermon titled, “On Working Out Our Own Salvation” (Sermon #85).

[v] Two great books about evangelizing in the postmodern world: Live to Tell: Evangelism for a Postmodern Age by Brad J. Kallenberg and A. K. A. Lost by Jim Henderson.