What's the Difference?

What's the difference between the Pharisees accusing Jesus of violating God's law by doing something not specifically authorized in scripture (Matthew 12, Mark 3:1-6, Luke 6:1-11) and when Christians today accuse other Christians of violating God's law by doing something not specifically authorized in scripture?

What makes it right for Christians in century twenty-one, but wrong for Pharisees in century one?

Generosity

A paragraph I was blessed to be able to write for this coming Sunday's bulletin and the Web site of the church where I work and attend:

By the time evening donations had been added to the $79,600 contributed at both worship hours Sunday morning, Sept., 21, the total for our special collection for disaster relief from the damage of Hurricane Hanna in Haiti totaled $81,800. Our elders had sent $20,000 in immediate, unbudgeted funds right after the hurricane - and you exceeded their hopes by MORE than a factor of FOUR!

That, in spite of the dire economic news that preceded the special collection last Sunday - of mortgage/investment banks taken over or going out of business, and possible bail-outs, and disappearing retirement accounts, and pending market collapse.

I titled this post "Generosity."

I could have just as easily titled it "Faith."

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." ~ Matthew 6:19-21

Judge | Judge Not

One of my favorite performers is a multi-genre composer/singer/instrumentalist named Susan Werner. She's ambivalent about church, but perceptive about faith. On her latest album - a foray into folk/gospel - she takes pulpit-pounders to task in the lyrics of Why Is Your Heaven So Small?:

You say you know; you say you've read
that Holy Bible up on the shelf.
Do you recall when Jesus said,
"Judge not, lest ye be judged yourself?"
For I know you'd damn me if you could,
but, my friend, it's simply not your call.
If God is great and God is good,
why is your heaven so small?

I am awful about judging people. Awful about doing it. Awful in being qualified to do it. I can blame part of it on the "vote-'em-off-the-island" culture I'm in, but not completely. As Randy Harris is fond of saying, "We all think we're right." Too often, I think I'm righter than everyone else.

And more times than I like to remember, when I have tried (sometimes tactfully and lovingly; sometimes not) to remind someone of what Jesus said, I have been thoroughly trounced with all kinds of doctrine about the commands to correct the doctrinal heresies of others - even to the permissibility of being judicious, sarcastic and even insulting.

So let's get to the bottom of it, shall we?

When should we judge and when should we abstain?

What should be the object of judging, and what should be the purpose for it?

What should we do with scriptures like Romans 14:10 and 1 Corinthians 5:12 which do not seem like they should fit in the same Bible, let alone flow from the same author's pen?

I want to keep this brief rather than comprehensive, and I very much want to hear from you. So I'm going to bullet-point what I perceive about a few different scriptures - and I apologize that these are excerpts; I'll let you be responsible for examining them in their respective contexts:

• Matthew 7:1; Luke 6:37 - "Don't judge." The unspoken word here is "others," I believe. There are acts that we should judge; some we should condemn. Don't judge others. We're not qualified to determine their eternal destiny. Leave it to Someone who is.


• Luke 12:57 - "Judge for yourselves what is right." That's an action, not a person; otherwise He would have said "who is right." Right? Judge for yourselves - as a community, plural - not one for another; not one against another. This was spoken to a crowd, remember. The advice was to sort out disagreements without requiring the need for civil judging authority.


• John 7:24 - "Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment." Jesus healed someone. It appeared that He was doing work on the Sabbath, and the conclusion was that He had therefore sinned. By healing someone, for goodness' sake. How twisted and un-right was that judgment? In trying to judge Him, they ignored the significance of the act itself, which was righteous.


• Acts 4:19 - "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God." (See comment directly before this bullet.)


• Romans 14:1; also Colossians 2:16 - "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters." There are disputable matters - matters of conscience. They cannot be limited to eating meats or celebrating holidays, for if logic were truly applied, matters of conscience would have to include any matter about which one strongly believes, but on which scripture is completely silent. On these matters we we are not to impose our beliefs on others as law, nor to judge them as if they could somehow violate our personal consciences!


• 1 Corinthians 2:15 - "The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment." Things, not people. And this is not a get-out-of-court-free verse. It simply says that the spiritual man recognizes that God judges him.


• 1 Corinthians 4:3-6 Here Paul disdains the kind of judgment (favoritism) that Corinth was showing toward himself, Apollos and Christ. He reminds them not to judge before the appointed time, when "each will receive his praise from God." And he adds, "Do not go beyond what is written," so that they will not try to out-do each other in pride and side-taking. This is a question of judgment about who is better than whom - and it has no place in the family of Christ.


• 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 - Don't miss the context of these verses: the whole chapter. We're talking about grave, wicked sins within the church, committed with impenitent impunity: sexual immorality, greed, slander, idolatry, drunkenness, swindling. These are wicked acts. These verses are NOT about differences of opinion on how to win souls or worship God or when/how God is required to apply salvation. They are NOT about dining in the building, having a building, spending the church budget, having a paid full-time minister, or ... you get the idea. But let's get this right: neither a difference of opinion nor a conviction of conscience regarding a matter on which scripture is silent makes a person wicked in and of itself. Yet far too many have let their confidence in their conviction grow to arrogance and judgment of others that can result in their own destruction - and suck their target right down the same bitter hole. It's how Satan works: Divide and conquer.


• 1 Corinthians 6:2 - "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?" The phrase "will judge the world" is in future tense. Don't jump the gun. The instruction here is the same that Jesus gave in Luke 12:57 - settle differences between brothers outside of civil court. Can it be any plainer?


• 1 Corinthians 11:31-32 - "But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world." This is not talking about the judgment of favoritism (1 Corinthians 4:3-6), but of making self-assessments and looking after each other as well. Once again, "ourselves" is plural. We're talking about the community of Christ. Jesus talked about how to look after each other's souls many, many times (Matthew 5:21-26; 18:15-20; John 13:34-35; et al).


• I Timothy 1:3 - "...command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer ...." And what were these false doctrines? Paul described them in the next verse as "myths and endless genealogies." They were lies. Probably pre-Gnostic fables that some were trying to merge with the truth of Christ, diluting its power. They were not about the kind of things that so many folks have turned themselves inside-out (and scripture, too) in order to condemn as "false doctrine" - which, too frequently, is man's doctrine and not God's. Opinions, matters of conscience. Not scripture. Not the heart of Christ.


• 1 Peter 2:1 - "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves." Not every difference of opinion is a heresy. Carousing in broad daylight - that's heresy. Slandering celestial beings - that's heresy. Denying the Lord - that's heresy. A different style of worship; a different method of discipling; a different way of using material advantages to God's glory - chances are good that these are not heresy. Do you see the difference in scale and size and scope? (See final remark in 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 above.)


• Galatians 5:12; Philippians 3:2; Matthew 23:33 - Sarcasm and insults had their place in the repertoire of God's spokespersons who were dealing with those who directly opposed God, and did it in His name. Whether they were Pharisees insisting on the letter of the law devoid of its Spirit or sheep-in-wolves'-clothing among early Christians insisting on Jesus-plus-circumcision or Jesus-plus-secret-Gnostic-wisdom to be saved, Jesus and Paul let them have it - and so did others. If you can be as absolutely certain of your doctrinal perfection and personal piety and spiritual insight - and of the ultimate hypocrisy/moral depravity of your target - as they were, I say, let 'er rip.
  
  Insult them and make snide comments about them and damn them to hell just as if you could.
  
  - But if you really want to reach souls, persuade hearts, turn sin-scorched people to God's healing (as opposed to just changing their mind about your opinion or interpretation or item of conscience), maybe it'd be more productive to lovingly share a message of grace; a confession of having been seared by sin, too; an appeal to heart and soul as well as head and hands.

Otherwise, you may get bitten in the butt (as I have) by the lyrics of a Susan Werner song or two.

One of the Sad Truths About Political Mudslinging

Once it begins, there is always enough mud to get everyone filthy.

The GraceFaithWorks Sandwich - A Third Bite

In the second bite of this way-too-long running series (which began here), I made some unsubstantiated claims about what I believe. Unsubstantiated, that is, by citing scripture references - and I would like to correct that. I said:

''... whatever a Christian does in this life is really not his or her own work, but God's work through her or him (1 Corinthians 12:6; Philippians 1:3-6; 2:13; Galatians 2:8; Hebrews 13:21). It is no longer we who live, but Christ in us (Galatians 2:20). He created us for good works (Ephesians 2:10). We're partners in the good works He does through us (1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 6:1). He gives us the eyes to see them and the ears to hear of the need for them. He gives us the bodies, hands and feet to accomplish them (Luke 14:13-14). They become His hands, His feet (Acts 4:32-35; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:20; 12:27). He gives us the energy (Colossians 1:29) and time (2 Corinthians 9:8) with which to do them. He gives us His own example to show us how and why (John 13:15; 1 John 3:16). He gives us His own Spirit to empower us to do those good works (Ephesians 1:19). If we don't do them, we don't really believe (James 2:26). If we know to do good and don't do it, it's sin to us (1 Peter 4:10; James 4:17). And if others judge our gospel by the way we live it or don't (Galatians 2:14; Philippians 1:27), by whether we do it or not - why should God judge us any differently (Matthew 25:31-46)?"

Some of my beliefs are insubstantial and unsubstantiated. These are not among them.

And I hope they give a few moments of quiet meditation to those who disagree.

Frankly, it gives me pause to realize that I am not applying the Nike hermeneutic as often as I should.

How to Judge Others

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"
~ Matthew 7:1-3

It's the verse above the one I chose to theme my blog that gives me even more pause. "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Does Jesus mean that when I judge others, they will judge me the same way? Or that God will judge me the same way? Or both?

He doesn't say.

But I tend to think He's talking about God's judgment of me. If others judged me the way I judge them, that would be almost-miraculously fair of them. They would somehow have an accurate sense of how I judge them, and they would use the same measure in judging me, laying aside their own measure of judgment. Very selfless! Perhaps even commendable!

And not very likely, is it?

So if judge others and condemn them for infractions of what I deign to be the law of Christ, doesn't that mean that God will judge and condemn me for infractions of what He knows to be the law of Christ?

If I am self-righteous in my judgment of others, doesn't He have the right to be truly righteous in His judgment of me?

At the same time, if I show grace and mercy to those with whom I disagree - even if I am right! - will not God show grace and mercy to me in judgment about matters in which I have been wrong, and He has ultimately been right?

If I withhold judgment of others that I deem is God's privilege alone, will He not exercise that judgment? Do I really need to worry that someone is getting away with something I feel is wrong, but about which He has not chosen to speak?

And, as a general rule, when scripture encourages us to judge, doesn't it usually add the words "for yourselves"?

What an incredible burden judgment places on me. How underqualified I am to exercise it. How scarred with splinters are my own eyelids.

Sometimes they are so swollen that I can only look within.

Do I see His grace there?

Do I see the crown of righteousness that He will award me - purchased with blood from the crown of thorns He wore?

Do I see the only One righteous to judge?

Do I look forward to the day of His appearing?

Or do I see a cold, blind, judging self, dressed in filthy rags, proclaiming the apparel of others more pathetic and tattered and grimy?

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. ~ 1 Timothy 4:8

I believe Jesus tells me exactly how to judge others:

"Don't." ~ Luke 6:37

Goodbye, Fluffy

She was twenty years old but not prematurely gray. She had been gray all her life, from the time she was just a handful of kitten and a gift from my wife to her mom.

Of course, I had never met any of them at that time. Fluffy was a companion for my mom-in-law, a shy under-bed dweller who was especially afraid of men.

I didn't let that stop me from trying to make her acquaintance. After a few visits to her mom's house in Texas, I coaxed her out from under the bed and found that she liked to have her head and belly rubbed - and that she liked to scratch and chew your hand gently when you obliged her.

When we moved my mom-in-law from Texas up to Little Rock to live nearer to us almost six years ago, Angi wanted to have Fluffy put to sleep rather than put a 14-year-old cat through the hot ride in mid-summer. I talked her out of it. I'm glad I did. She made the trip just fine. The place where my mom-in-law lives in Little Rock doesn't permit pets, though, so Fluffy came to live with us.

Our other two cats were more or less indifferent to her - as she was to them - but somehow respected her seniority. When we added a cocker spaniel a year ago, he indiscriminately took to all of them like long-lost cousins.

In the last year, Fluffy had grown thinner and thinner. As her teeth deteriorated, she could only eat soft food - and the other pets let her have plenty, preferring the crunchy kind - but her digestive system was never very happy. She grew gaunt. She hasn't been able to hop up to her rightful place on the bed for several months because of the arthritis in her back legs, but she never complained. (If you hang around some of the same blogs I do, you may remember that I commented about Fluffy on salguod's blog a couple of months ago.)

One of her favorite things to do was talk with us. She only knew two words - "Mama" and "Hello?" - but she got the pronunciation right and the inflection perfect, including the cleft-kitty-lipped "m," the aspirated "h," and the rising inflection at the end of "Hello?".

Sometimes when we came home, she would come sit at the top of the stairs and say "Hello?" and wait for us to say it back to her. She would go back and forth with us, repeating it for as long as we were willing. Sometimes, she'd do it even though we'd been home for a long time!

She would say "mama" mostly when she was hungry. She knew who fed her.

Last evening, while Angi and I were at a formal dinner at the University, something happened. It might have been a stroke. When we came home, I found Fluffy only semi-responsive, eyes glazed, reclined with her head against the water dish. She could barely get up. She couldn't eat. She couldn't drink. She couldn't fully stand. She'd just squat by the water dish, looking longingly at it. Once, she dipped her tongue into it. But she couldn't swallow. The drop of water dribbled down her chin.

We tried to make her comfortable, but she couldn't get comfortable. We had hoped maybe she would improve during the night, but by morning it was clear that she was suffering - and unwilling to put her head down, lest she fall asleep and not awaken again.

Laura was inconsolable for a while, wailing "I don't want her to die" over and over. Matthew, stolidly, just rubbed her head and belly.

After the children had had a chance to say goodbye to her and had gone to school; after Angi had called her mom to see if she wanted to go with me to the vet (she didn't), I took Fluffy for her last ride.

She was pretty close to gone before we got there.

I was handling it all right until the vet's assistants took her to the back room for the shot. Then I just sank into a chair and sobbed. The kindness of a stranger - an older lady with a quiet new puppy - consoled me with an arm around my shoulder.

Then they brought me her collar and tags, and I took them home.

Goodbye, Fluffy.

It wasn't so much that we hardly knew ye - but that we knew you so long and you loved us so much.

We will miss your greeting when we come home.

Seven Years

Tomorrow will be seven years.

So much has been said and written, painted and filmed, discussed and rehashed about the horrific events of that day, I have no hope that I can add sense to the senselessness, add poetry to the grace shown by so many, add honor and dignity to the lives lost and the lives given to save others.

But I will dispassionately sound a note for justice.

I will not scream. I will not weep. I will not shout. I will not demand.

I will continue to insist on justice.

I will continue to require my government - whatever agency, party, department, wing, functionary, official, commander or civil servant can serve - I will continue to require my government to ferret out the mastermind of the attacks of 9/11 and all of his minions, and bring them to justice before a court that is equally dispassionate and equally insistent that right should be done.

Not vengeance, which is the Lord's.

Not overreaction, which is inexcusable.

Not freedom to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness beyond the reach of law and decency.

Not forgiveness, which is not the property of such a court to give.

Justice.

Pure and simple.

And now.

Seven years is unacceptable.

Politics As Unusual

I don't blog about politics very often. I know some folks find it fascinating and can get their foundation garments in quite a wad when something is said to denigrate the process (as if it is God-given-to-the-founding-fathers law) or, especially, to marginalize the party of their choice (as if it were heaven-delivered-to-Washington perfect).

So let me say something which will equivocally and roundly offend everyone.

I think it's a cryin', stinkin', squealin' shame that Americans really only have a choice between one candidate/party which favors legal abortion-on-demand and another candidate/party which favors prolonging a war in a country where we have never had any business being and are not wanted until some undefined "victory" can be declared there, even if it's a century down the road.

I think it's a travesty that Americans must choose between an energy policy that is unrealistically eco-friendly and one that unapologetically shoves money into the pockets of energy interests which are robbing us blind and enjoying record profits while doing so.

I think it's reprehensible that both major parties should select a candidate or running mate who is so wet-behind-the-ears and experience-free that their primary qualifications are youth and gender or race.

I think it's gutless, spineless, and ignorant for a two-party Congress to blame the other side of the aisle for out-of-control spending and then promise to pay for the resulting debt by cutting taxes ... in a grand bi-partisan way, of course.

I think it's absurd that the two-party system has gravitated toward ridiculous extremes on virtually everything that could be considered an issue to Americans; things that affect the way we live and believe and do business.

I don't think the answer is voting for cloutless special-interest parties created and perpetuated by political gnomes like Ross Perot or Ralph Nader.

I don't think the answer is not voting at all, as a sort of resigned, hopeless protest.

I just think we ought to know what and whom we're voting for, be mature enough to admit that we're being hoodwinked by a system that does not have our best interests at heart - only a party platform - and to vote with a clear conscience for what each of us believes is the lesser of two evils.

Then pray for the day when reason will prevail and defeat at least the most outlandish of the truly evil propositions put forward in Congress and subject to the pen of the President and the whims of the courts ... for the day when our resources will no longer be squandered on pork or excessive military costs or the advantage of power for one party above the other ... for the day when we can look at the process with pride and see politics as unusual.

Labor Day

At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.

All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. ~ Matthew 11:25-30

There will be some folks who work today. Policemen, firemen, rescue and medical workers.

And at least three American Red Cross volunteers, looking after the needs of Hurricane Gustav evacuees from the New Orleans area, housed in the Family Life Center at my church.

Keep them all in your prayers, if you will.

They are meek and lowly in heart. And they could use a lighter burden.