Suppose we just leave out that three-letter word!

 “A common-sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super intellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature.” - Alistar McGrath

            One of the curious realities of Canadian life early in the 21^st century is the increasing number of people who affirm some variety of belief in a Higher Power, Supreme Being, Intelligent Designer or Super Intellect, yet retain no firm conviction about regularly visiting a place of worship.

            The explanations for this actuality are numerous and I hear many of them in the course of regularly interacting with Canadians who tell me they “don’t do church.” I’m fascinated by the commonalities I hear when people confide that, apart from perhaps Easter or Christmas, regular attendance at a church, synagogue or mosque doesn’t rank very high on their “to do” lists.

            Hypocrisy, irrelevant, too busy, guilt-trips, kids’ schedules, boring, judgemental people, dull monologues … are among the favorite themes I encounter.  All of these explanations have some degree of merit, to be sure, and chances are good I can best any story that specifically elaborates on any one of them.

            I too get frustrated with church-people. I too regret my own frequent failings. I, likewise, lament that church-goers often can be more of a “Nosy Nellie” than a “Compassionate Carl.” I fully understand the sentiments of that bumper sticker I periodically see: “Jesus: Save Me from Your Followers!”

            The disparity between the truth represented in the quotation above and what many Canadians have experienced in church life is instructive. Many choose to become what I call “closet theists.” They readily grasp that the concept of this ordered world developing and functioning as the result of mere happenstance requires a greater faith than they possess. Yet, the nonsense they’ve encountered in organizations that ostensibly serve as conduit to the relevant Higher Power, Supreme, Intelligent Designer, Super Intellect, ultimately proved unbearable. Accordingly, they are wary of that three-letter word and anything or anyone that purportedly represents it - God.

 

           Unfortunate, that!

            I was recently privileged to spend some time with a friend who is a professional folk-rock musician on the club circuit. One of his latest songs is titled: “Not a Good Time for God” in which he laments mankind’s expertise at corrupting the “G” word.

 

           In our visit together, like Alistar McGrath, we recommitted to positively representing the Mastermind we’ve experienced as Friend.

What makes cyber-opinions "Christian?"

The eminent American preacher, William H. Willimon, tells of being approached by an eager reporter for a student newspaper who was looking for a juicy quote.

"Dawk-tuh Will-uh-mawn," the writer drawled, "whawt's yo' view of ho-mo-segs-u-al-i-tuh?"

"I believe everything Jesus said about it," the former Dean of the Chapel at Duke Divinity School replied.

Confident they had something of substance, the reporter proceeded to publish the quote verbatim.

The humorous point of, of course, is that contrary to what that reporter assumed, Jesus never made any overt comments or judgments regarding homosexuality.

WARNING: The primary topic of this post is not homosexuality so seekers of juicy table scraps may wish to click on...

Willimon's anecdote lends itself to several important points but one will suffice for the purpose of this post.

Amidst the scores of "Christian" perspectives, views, blogs, tweets, et al, that daily soar through cyberspace, we do well to periodically inquire regarding what makes an opinion essentially "Christian."

Is it the merely the reputation/legacy of the blogger, poster, or opinion-writer? Is it the opinion's theological proximity to what any particular denomination/tradition considers orthodox? Is it the necessary evidence required to ensure the source will not risk losing that contract with that publisher or that invitation to be keynote speaker at that next big conference?

It's long past time we started applying serious scrutiny to the origins of the thinking that fuels the myriad of messages that encumber cyberspace.

Some of them are far more closely aligned with Churchianity than Christianity - "Christ" being the operative dynamic in that observation.

Some of us are convinced there is a BIG difference between Churchianity and Christianity. Accordingly, it would be appreciated if more communicators would consider such before hitting SEND.

Interpreting the inexplicable horrors of life

             If there’s one thing I’m intolerant of in a day when tolerance is a prerequisite for contributing to discussions in the public square, it is simplistic answers to complex questions. Since preachers are ostensibly about truth-telling, try this on for size: some of the most simplistic explanations I hear regarding complex matters originate in the church/religious world.

            This reality exists for a number of curious reasons. Sufficient for my purposes here is to merely submit that when I hear church/religious people tender simplistic answers for complex realities, more often than not I suggest it’s time they re-read the ancient book of Job. Simple answers didn’t cut it thousands of years ago and they don’t cut it today.

            What, in the name of all that is truthful, are we to make of the senseless and brutal murders of five Calgary college students by someone they considered a friend? And what light does ancient wisdom shed on our efforts to responsibly engage that question?

            For those unfamiliar with the storyline in the biblical book Job, here’s a précis. Readers are introduced to Job, a wealthy businessman whose reputation is a jaw-dropper: blameless, of complete integrity, continually fearing God and turning away from evil. If you’re perceptive, you’ll grasp why my parents didn’t name me Job.

            “Health and wealth theology” being a staple today, you’d think Deity would be inclined to honor Job’s devotion. Yet just two chapters in, this honorable gentleman’s wealth, business, children and health are AWOL and we find him taunted by his cynical wife to “curse God and die.” Oh, did I mention this sudden change in fortunes was all God’s idea in the first place? Were he among us today, Job could be excused for stomping out of worship gatherings that proclaim such platitudes as “God is good, all the time, God is good!”

            Curiously, the balance of Job – some forty chapters – is largely unread which, in my estimation, largely accounts for the proclivity among believers to spout simplistic solutions to complex matters. The essence of this lengthy treatise gets right in the face of E-Z Answers Inc. = shut up, already!

            The message of ancient wisdom that contemporary society does well to note? Bad stuff happens! Bad stuff happens to good and godly people! Being spiritually devout doesn’t guarantee immunity to bad stuff!  And the real kicker: Deity uses bad stuff for purposes we will not fully comprehend in this life!  

(Trigger warning): Contents may offend some!

“I am going to prepare a trigger warning for myself and recite it before every shift at the hospital. ‘Warning: death, puke, poop, phlegm, bile, pus, sweat, family discord, malingering, violence, belligerence, fear, withdrawal…’”    – nurse at a Kingston, ON, hospital

            If you’re unfamiliar with the expression ‘trigger warning,’ you need to engage it. It’s the modern equivalent of the old TV show disclaimer advising that contents of the following program may offend some viewers.

            Taking the crusade of political correctness to its next predictable level, certain voices among us today are calling for ‘trigger warnings’ to now intrude the worlds of literature and academia. A recent article in The Globe and Mail - that included the quotation above - succinctly elaborated: “In February, a Rutgers sophomore writing in the New Jersey university’s student newspaper called for a trigger warning on, among other works, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, because the book contains “suicide, domestic abuse, and graphic violence.””

            This discussion seizes my attention because, as most readers know, the Christian faith recently celebrated Holy Week which included Good Friday, a recollection of Jesus Christ’s bloody crucifixion on a Roman execution pole. I’m such a fossil that twenty years ago - when the V-chip television was the latest technology enabling parents to pre-program their TV sets to protect Johnie and Suzie from tuning in any graphic violence – I wrote in a national publication during Holy Week that there was some violence we should consider sacred and from which responsible parents should not shield our offspring.

            I was recently reminded of those days when a young mother in our congregation asked if I would have a look at a new version of a children’s Bible she’d obtained that she thought was somewhat inappropriate. I reminded her that the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, is a fairly graphic portrayal of humanity and our competing inclinations to pursue both the good AND the ugly. It’s indeed very difficult to sugar-coat the murders, muggings, messes and assorted mayhem revealed therein!  

Instructively, that’s one of the reasons the Bible has retained its popularity over the years – it is disturbingly realistic about the human condition. Perhaps the day is not far off when someone will advocate slapping a trigger warning on its contents.

            So, a word to the wise is in order here. If you’re one of the numerous Canadians who hasn't been to church in a while - be duly warned: neither the V-chip nor trigger warnings are in use there. Yet!

The comparative impotence of cash

“After pausing in December, Albertans came rushing back to malls, shops and car dealerships,” said Todd Hirsch, chief economist with ATB Financial. “Alberta’s record-setting sales are yet another indicator of an extremely strong economy.”  - Calgary Herald, March 21, 2014

            There’s one tidbit of advice the Beatles dispensed that I wish my generation would grasp: “I don't care too much for money; 'Cause money can't buy me love.”

            Wise, that! Nevertheless, here we are some fifty years later - still captivated by the notion that cents is equivalent to sense, that money and its accordant power to purchase is pretty much the cure for everything. Except that it isn’t.

            Not that I wish to rain on anybody’s parade merely for the sake of raining on anybody’s parade, please understand. I’m as appreciative as the next dude for the numerous benefits that accrue due to living in one of the most fabulous economies on earth. I, too, like to see people prosper. I, too, enjoy the positive vibes a flourishing economy creates. Share the wealth, baby!

I refuse, nonetheless, to (ahem) buy into the non-cents implicitly trumpeted by many who would have us believe affluence is equivalent to utopia.  Don’t be fooled, friend; it’s as true today as when John, Paul, George and Ringo sang it half-a-century ago: money can’t buy me ________ (you fill in the blank).

Such, of course, was one of the primary messages articulated centuries ago by Jesus. To hear some modern religionists tell it, you would think Jesus spent most of his time talking about matters like homosexuality and abortion. Not true! Jesus did spend a large portion of his abbreviated career modeling and uttering perplexing ideas like “it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

The implications of that statement are immense and ultimately challenge the myopic thinking that fuels much of the capitalistic rationale so pervasive in Alberta. Homes in Bearspaw can burn down just as quickly as homes in Forest Lawn. A BMW may get you to the next red light faster, but still ends up in the junkyard. There is no provincial or federal bylaw that prohibits a woman from wearing the same evening gown to two events in the same season.

“Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools,” the Bible says regarding the Romans. There are days I can’t help but wonder if history is repeating itself in Alberta.