Honestly Thinking

Honestly thinking (& rethinking) about God, the universe, and everything in between

Tag: Liberal

WWWJD: What Would “Woke” Jesus Do

July 16, 2022 / / 0 Comments

I have never been a fan of the WWJD (“What Would Jesus Do”) phrase. It sets up the idea of Jesus as merely an exemplary human from the past that we are supposed to copycat, as opposed to someone we  can be in dynamic relationship with in following today.

In addition, the Biblical accounts of Jesus show him as a first century middle eastern man reacting to a very specific set of situations in a very specific culture that we cannot easily translate to our modern western world. While certainly the integrity of his character would remain the same, beyond that it becomes a guessing game of how exactly Jesus would react to every modern situation. The result is that we often manipulate him to be the kind of Jesus we want him to be and to justify our preconceived notions.

There is in the West, after all, on one far end of the spectrum a “social Jesus,” that stands as proof that the central point of Christianity is that we are to do good works by demolishing all power structures and setting up a future utopia with a completely equitable society. On the other far end is “American National Jesus” whose teachings led to the foundations of building the greatest nation the earth has ever seen. Followers of American National Jesus, of course, feel that we have departed from those beginning principles and that our central priority right now is to fight against all those “woke” social Jesus people in order to live out the freedoms that Christ truly intended.

In all my years of both studying and getting to know Jesus, of course, I have found that he is not always as predictable as we would like him to be, and that he is not so easily boxed in. In truth, that is one of the things that so much attracts me to him.

And that is why when my wife suggested the title “WWWJD: What Would ‘Woke’ Jesus Do” for a recent article I wrote for Baptist News Global, the idea of it really intrigued me. Baptist News didn’t end up going with that title, but I wanted to include the article here for my Honestly Thinking readers because, while Jesus can’t be boxed, I think there are certain things about Jesus’s character that remain true for all situations and that should challenge both ends of the spectrum in terms of the gospel we share and how we truly love our neighbor.

Please read the article here.

In a Facebook post I also followed up the article with the following words: Continue reading

They!

December 15, 2020 / / 6 Comments

We hear it continually.

It pervades the social atmosphere.

Seeping in like an odorless gas, it invades every crevice.

Its toxicity eats away at our collective conscience.

And Its destructive symptoms cause us to spew more bile substance – its contagiousness spreading like a plague from one victim to the next.

None of us are asymptomatic, because if you listen closely, you’ll see it on social media, in headlines and articles, on news sites, on college campuses, in office hallways, in churches, mosques and synagogues, at dinner table conversations, during protest marches, and in just plain everyday speech.

An insidious use of a word – with a mortality rate that threatens to destroy us all.

I’m talking about the use of the word “they.”

It’s not the word itself but the way it’s often used.

It’s what’s at the heart.

A single actor makes an outrageous statement, and immediately it becomes about everyone who works in the entertainment business.

“Those Hollywood Elitists, THEY are trying to destroy America with their radicalized agenda!”

A church leader fails.

“Those Christian hypocrites, THEY are all just charlatans, getting rich off deluding ignorant followers!” Continue reading

Split-Brain and the REAL Reason People are Leaving the Church, Part 2

October 17, 2020 / / 8 Comments

In July of 2019, Joshua Harris, author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye and the person largely credited with advancing the “purity culture” movement, shocked the evangelical Christian world when he announced on Instagram, “I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus. The popular phrase for this is ‘deconstruction,’ the biblical phrase is ‘falling away.’ By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian.”

Just a few weeks later, Marty Sampson, worship leader and songwriter for Hillsong, sent a second shockwave as he likewise proclaimed, “Time for some real talk… I’m genuinely losing my faith… and it doesn’t bother me… like, what bothers me now is nothing… I am so happy now, so at peace with the world… it’s crazy.”

Then in May of 2020, Jon Steingard, lead singer of the popular Christian band Hawk Nelson, posted “After growing up in a Christian home, being a pastor’s kid, playing and singing in a Christian band, and having the word ‘Christian’ in front of most of the things in my life – I am now finding that I no longer believe in God.”

Hidden behind this wave of well-known individuals is a growing number of men and women who have quietly slipped away from the church, many simply finding new ways to practice their faith and others leaving behind faith entirely. A significant number of them had spent most of their lives in the church, some of them serving as leaders and pastors, before realizing that they could no longer reconcile their actions with what they truly believed.

In revealing words, Marty Sampson went on to say, “I want genuine truth. Not the ‘I just believe it’ kind of truth. Science keeps piercing the truth of every religion. Lots of things help people change their lives, not just one version of God. Got so much more to say, but for me, I keeping it real.”

Real. A word often cited by those struggling with faith.

In Part 1 of this series I noted what I consider to be the underlying thread behind people leaving their faith communities: people have a need to believe in something that is real and they’re simply not finding it in the church.

Also in Part 1, I explained some of the neuroscience, combined with harmful theology, that I believe has contributed to this, particularly in Western society. I highly encourage you to read it before proceeding, as it will make a lot more sense of what I have to say in the upcoming sections. For those who have already read it, here is a shortened summary: Continue reading

Sorry, Fellow White Conservative Males, I’ve Got to Separate Myself on This

August 20, 2017 / / 5 Comments

First, to settle this up front. I still call myself conservative.

I’m still with you on the importance of personal responsibility and limited government.

I’m still with you in contending that free market capitalism offers the best opportunity for everyone.

I’m still with you in advocating for the life of the unborn and holding that traditional families are the building block of our society.

I’m still with you in endorsing the freedom to express one’s faith and in believing that scripture, like the constitution, should be interpreted according to the authors’ original intent.

But as I’ve watched your various responses to the recent events in Charlottesville…

…as I’ve observed many of you simultaneously try to distance yourselves from the racist alt-right while also minimalizing it by pointing fingers at the media and the counter-protesters and their “inaccurate” understanding of confederate symbolism and historical facts…

…as I’ve witnessed you defend a typically no-holds-barred, “un-presidential,” unconcerned-with-facts leader as he suddenly became more reserved, “presidential,” and concerned with facts “on both sides” with this particular group…

I have to be honest…

Sorry, fellow white conservative males, I’ve got to separate myself on this.

In fact, it is my conservative belief…

…that the intent of the constitution was to give the right to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”

…that the intent of scripture was not only that you love God but also “love your neighbor as yourself”

…that absolutely demands it.

I know I may not be describing all of you in regards to your recent responses, but what I’m talking about is actually much bigger than just this one event.

I’ve observed it particularly over the last year and half.

I’ve observed it in your various responses to different events.

Perhaps it’s just gotten worse, or perhaps the problem’s been there all along and I’m just beginning now to wake up.

What I’m talking about is either your inability or absolute refusal to listen to and believe other people’s stories. Continue reading

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