Tuesdays with Morris

Memorial Day…Fourth of July…Veteran’s Day…on these holidays, we often hear comments from religious leaders about the United States being a Christian nation. And, this always rubs me the wrong way.

I understand that statistics show that around 80%+ of United States citizens consider themselves to be Christians. Well, I consider myself to be a great golfer, but that does not make me a great golfer (and, if you’ve ever played with me…you know I am a lousy golfer). The problem with statistics are that the polls represent such a small number of the given population. One poll I saw showed that 86% of U.S. citizens are Christian. But, they only polled 10,000 people. Does that really give us a good representation? Who knows…However, disproving statistics really isn’t my point here.

And, we often hear talk around this time of year of how our founding fathers intended this nation to be a Christian nation. And, you hear countless quotes of the founding fathers talking about their faith. Of course, you can find just as many quotes from our founding fathers that give a different view. And, let us not forget that our founding fathers found it permissible to run the natives off their land, own slaves, and oppress women…just to name a few. But, talking about whether or not our founding fathers truly intended this to be a Christian nation or a nation of religious freedom (sharply different ideas) is not my point here.

Also, many congregations join together in reciting the “pledge of allegiance” on Sunday mornings around these various holidays. Does anyone else find this a bit disturbing? We gather together to worship God and end up pledging our allegiance to a flag. Something about that just doesn’t sit well with me. It almost seems like idol worship. But, the United States wouldn’t make craven images…would we (Mt. Rushmore anyone??? Just about every monumnet and structure in D.C.?)? Personally, I have not recited the pledge of allegiance in at least 10-12 years. I refuse to pledge my allegiance to any thing, any nation, or any person other than God. I pledge my allegiance to God…the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But, talking about whether or not the pledge of allegiance is appropriate in houses of worship (many justify it by saying, “well, it says ‘one nation under God’.”) is not my point here.

My real point is a simple question…If we are truly a “Christian nation”, shouldn’t things look a lot different around here?”

Many of my regular readers here are probably thinking I’m some un-patriotic liberal nut who should move to Canada or Sweden (don’t think I haven’t thought of that). Let me be clear…I feel blessed to live in these United States. I pray regularly for our governmental leaders. I pray for our military and for their safe return from tours of duty. I just sometimes feel that our patriotism (especially in evangelical circles) borders on idol worship. It’s not wrong to be proud our our nation. But, it’s wrong to give it priority over our Creator.

It’s my considered opinion that if we are truly a Christian nation, things would look much different. It seems like the agenda of this nation is vastly different than the agenda of Jesus. He called us to love God and love others. And, when He spoke of loving others…He said “don’t just love those who love you…love, pray, and bless your enemies.” The pursuit of the American dream seems to be about gaining material wealth and power. But, I’m pretty sure Scripture calls us to humble ourselves and build up our treasures in heaven.

If you’re interested in exploring more on these sorts of thoughts, I would encourage you to check out Greg Boyd’s book “Myth of a Christian Nation.” , Randall Balmer’s book “Thy Kingdom Come”, Jim Wallis’ book The Great Awakening and/or Shane Claiborne’s book Jesus for President.

Bishop Job starts the third rule (stay in love with God) with two passage of Scripture:

“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.” (Psalm 105:4)

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:6-7)

Staying in love with God requires more than feeling and church attendance. If you are seeking to “stay in love with God” and deepen your knowledge, understanding, and relationship with Jesus, it simply can’t be done with nice thoughts and one hour on a Sunday morning. Staying in love with God requires taking intentional steps to challenge ourselves…to actively pursue growth.

For me, I need time in prayer, Bible study, and personal worship on a daily basis. I also need fellowship with other Christians, corporate gatherings of worship and study…and at the same time…I need silence/solitude.

You can go and buy countless books that will tell you how to stay in love with God. And, while they may be helpful, the most important thing is to set aside time daily to connect with God. We also need to remember that different people connect in different ways. What works for me won’t necessarily work for you…and that’s okay.

What I want to stress and encourage is getting out of our comfort zones…try something different and challenging. Some folks are great at reading the Scriptures or worship through song but might struggle with solitude or fasting. So, maybe they should give that a try. You get the point…try something new…get out of your routine. Not that routines are bad (it’s always good to find what works for you), but I think routines can become legalistic and lose their depth and meaning after a period of time. That’s why I like to shake it up from time to time.

What helps you stay in love with God?

Do Good

Galatians 2:10 says ,”we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Luke 6:27-28 says, “I say to you that listen, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

Rule number two is so simple it consists of only two words…”do good.” And, from the Luke passage, it seems clear that our living out of this rule should be directed to all people.

When I think about doing good, I think of our words and deeds. With our words, we can do good by encouraging others, building others up, and even offering words of correction. With our deeds, we can do good by helping out others in need. We have the opportunity to do good on a daily basis. Are we taking advantage of these opportunities? Bishop Job encourages readers to do “good to all in every circumstance in every way I can.” He also writes, “Every act and every word must pass through the love and will of God and there be measured to discover if its purpose does indeed bring good and goodness to all it touches.”

But, this idea of doing good was sparked a bit further by my friend Scott Greene. Speaking at our senior high camp, Scott talked about how we need to do the good works God has called us to. And, when we do the good he’s called us to we find great joy and fulfillment.

There are many good things we can do…but are they the good things God has called us to? That’s something we all need to wrestle with…what good thing is God calling you to do?

I’ve been kicking this thought around. There are a lot of things I can do that maybe I’m not really called to do at this moment in time. And, I think there are some things I’m called to that I’m not able to fully devote myself to because I’m consumed in doing something things I can but am not called to do. For example, I “can” do youth ministry. But, I don’t really feel called to do it. My journey to Center Chapel was also part of being obedient to God’s call on my life…one that was leading me out of youth ministry. Also, I don’t really feel called to praise and worship ministry. I can do it and make it work. But, that’s not where I feel God is calling me to utilize my gifts and energy. At times, I find myself thinking, “Man, I could really give more energy to “this” if I wasn’t doing “that.” And, in all honesty, because I don’t feel called and find great joy in some of the things I’m doing, I don’t find the motivation to really pour myself into it. And, I’ll have new ideas that I feel God is calling me to, but I simply don’t have the time to pursue them because of the other things I need to do.

Yet, at the same time, I find myself asking…am I supposed to just do this anyway? If I really just pour into it will I find joy? I just can’t shake the idea that God would rather have us do what He’s called us to do than the things we can or think we should do.

But, when it comes down to it…I’m called to do no harm and to do good. Maybe the good I’m called to do are things that aren’t my favorite things (and then again, maybe not).

The first of the three simple rules is “do not harm.” Rueben Job writes, “When we agree that we will not harm those with whom we disagree, conversation, dialogue, and discovery of new insight become possible.”

When we “do harm”, it tends to be towards those we might classify as enemies. Yet, there are moments when we “do harm” to those whom we’re closest to…friends, family, loved ones.

When I think of doing harm, I think of my words and deeds. There are times when the harm I do is a harsh word. There are times when the harm I do is failing to help those around me with needs I can address. There are times when the harm I do is being careless with the things God has given me (work, family, friends, this world, my possessions, etc).

I believe doing no harm starts with having a proper perspective. We need to view all people as those created in God’s image…we need to remember that all people are loved by God. It’s a lot harder to speak harshly to someone when we realize that they were wonderfully made in God’s image.

We also need to remember that all we have is a result of God’s blessing in our lives (wow…that sort of sounds prosperity gospel-ish). We tend to be less careless with our stuff when we realize that it’s all God’s to begin with.

This idea of doing no harm should not be limited to those we love. It should also be extended to our enemies (because I’m pretty sure Jesus said something about loving them). Job writes, “When I am determined to do no harm to you, I lose my fear of you; and I am able to see you and hear you more clearly.” I wonder what would happen if our nations department of defense followed rule number one?

When I focus on doing no harm, I find my conversations with others much more fruitful. When another person makes a comment I disagree with, I try to not fight back with my agenda. I try to let my conversations and interactions with others be filled with love, grace, mercy, patience, kindness, and even tolerance.

This first rule, “do no harm” sounds so simple…so easy. Yet, I find that each new day it gets more complicated because it begins to penetrate further into my life. At first, I only wanted to apply it to my words. Then it fell into my actions. Now it’s consuming my words, actions, and my failure to speak up when necessary, and my failure to act when necessary.

Yet, I’m convinced…if I can begin to get a grasp on doing no harm to those around me, I’ll find rule number two much easier. More on that later.

At Annual Conference, I received a free copy of Bishop Rueben Job’s book “Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Way of Living“. It’s a quick read that reminds readers of the importance to focus on living out ones faith on a daily basis.

As you can tell, it brings out “three simple rules.” These are three memorable statements that, if followed and lived out, will help enrich one’s faith journey. The rules are:

1. Do No Harm
2. Do Good
3. Stay in Love with God

In the next few days, I will write some of my thoughts on these three simple rules.

I do appreciate the rules. And, since reading the book, I’ve kept these statements before me on a daily basis and they do serve as wonderful reminders of what my life is all about. However, I think it’s funny that the subtitle is “A Wesleyan Way of Living”. Yes, I know these rules generate from the teachings of John Wesley. I wish the subtitle was “A Jesus Way of Living.” There are times when I feel we Methodist’s get too caught up in Methodism and our Wesleyan heritage. But, the rules do lead us to Jesus…and that’s what is important.