Turning a cheek or a blind eye?: Christian response to suffering

In the modern age, we discussed how a loving God could allow suffering. In our postmodern age, it seems we have begun to ask how people God loves cause so much suffering.

Christians have a precious hope that gives light in dark sufferings. This claim, however, causes great offense when those who have this hope express such dark judgments of others seeking refuge from their sufferings.

In this week's Sunday edition of the New York Times, these two ideas came head to head. One that explains the Christian response to suffering, and another one that points out the great shortcomings of evangelical Christians. In his article After Great Pain, Where is God?, Peter Wehner explains how Christians maintain hope and faith in the midst of times of great suffering. Even in times as troubling as losing a 13-year old who battled brain disease to suicide. He reminds us how Jesus wrestled with doubt in the moments prior to his crucifixion. He points out that simple answers are not easily found, and that the hope we have is buried under complex questions and explanations.

Mr. Wehner's main points center on the reassurance of Christian community and the fundamental doctrine that the sufferings endured on Earth play into eternal realities in heaven. He gently points out that these reassurances are often shared at times and in ways that seem to minimize suffering rather than validating it. It seems that this can be done in a way to have the opposite affect than what was intended.

These have been true for me. The blessing of Christian community is wonderful. In our tight Memphis house church group, we have been through difficult moments together. As organizations we founded were ripped apart because of fundamental disagreements, we still broke bread together, prayed together, and looked to one another for help. Also, the meaning that comes from a life with purpose is ultimately the most reassuring. Our great fear is the fear of being irrelevant, meaningless, and full of vanity. The promises of the Bible that God has a plan and purpose for my life, as well as the lives of others, gives me strength to embrace difficulties with a renewed sense of confidence.

While intriguing, the Christian's claim to hope in the midst of troubles is not in itself offensive. I doubt that many outsiders to the Christian faith, hold Christians in contempt who claim to have a way to cope with their pain through faith. Instead, it seems that Christians' dogmatic and unempathetic retort to those in suffering is such an obvious paradox that it causes many to cry afoul.

In an interview for the New York Times Magazine, Reza Aslan explains how he hopes to end bigotry through a new show - "Believer". He walks through his own faith journey and the diverse exploration of his wife and children. At the end of the interview, he nails Christians to the cross of the suffering of others. Reflecting on his past and current Christian response to Trump politics, Mr. Aslan offers the following:

Because of your conversion to and departure from evangelical Christianity, do you have any insight into why so many evangelicals voted for Trump? The generous way of putting it is that Trump basically said to this group, “Vote for me, and I’ll get rid of abortion,” and so they did. A lot of those evangelical voters are one-issue voters. But let’s be clear: It’s not the case that 81 percent of evangelicals voted for Trump; it’s 81 percent of white evangelicals who voted for Trump. A recent poll just came out that showed that while support for a Muslim travel ban diminished in almost every single group in America since 2016, it has actually risen among white evangelicals. So let’s just call a spade a spade: You can love Jesus and still be a racist.

Mr. Aslan clearly focuses on a demographic that pollsters would classify me as - white, evangelical, and Christian. The statistics say that my demographic group was 81% for a Trump presidency. This same group has increased its support of travel bans for Muslims in the last 12 months. I am embarrassed. I am embarrassed to be white. I am embarrassed to be an evangelical Christian.

These humiliating statistics are what expose the contrast. That on the one hand a group of believers laid hold of precious promises of hope and reassurance in their troubles, but then seem to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. White evangelical Christians in particular, preach a gospel that tells the world they have hope beyond the grave. But for their Muslim neighbor, there is not only an absence of reassurance, but outright inhospitality toward those fleeing for their lives from war-torn countries and oppression.

The last statement is the most alarming, "You can love Jesus and still be a racist." Mr. Aslan is justified in stating this for good reason. Those who answered these questions are likely self-identified as evangelical Christians and are probably not embarrassed of their comments. However, I do take issue with the statement. I have three objections: misdirection, identity, and love.

Misdirection. Mr. Aslan briefly mentions the issue of abortion as the core issue for this voting bloc, and then proceeds to correctly chastise them for racist sentiments. As we point out this racist behavior, we wave our hands past the 59 million lives aborted since 1973. 59 million. The focus of this voting bloc's inhospitable behavior towards Muslims cries of the same "straining a gnat to swallow a camel" accusation lodged against many religious people in Jesus' day. Both are really important, but let's not lose sight of all the problems as we pull the speck out of our brother's eye.

Identity. White Evangelical Christians are identified by the color of their skin and self-identification as to whether or not they are evangelical. Mr. Aslan then gives them honor of claiming that they love Jesus. Though I'm sure many of these same respondents would vote a 10 out of 10 on the phrase "I love Jesus", this is not the measure that Jesus gave. Jesus explicitly taught that there will be many who claim to "know" or "love" him, but would deny him by the way they lived. In Matthew 25, he relays a stark parable about separating the sheep and goats. Apparently all of these represent those who would be in this voting bloc. The sheep, however, were the ones who cared for their neighbor, greeted the foreigner, fed the hungry, visited the sick, and embraced the prisoner. The goats failed to do so not knowing how Jesus identified with the "least of these". The problem is that the people claim to love Jesus but do not show it in their actions.

In the book of Titus, Paul points out that there are people who claim to know God, but deny him by the way they live. Though it is of very little consolation from my little soap box, I want to make crystal clear that those who openly express disgust towards, animosity against, and hatred of those who are different than them speak for themselves and not for the Risen Christ.

Love. Finally, the issue with the statement is either they don't LOVE, or they don't love JESUS, or they are not STILL a racist. Jesus taught that if you loved him you would obey his commands. He made it very clear that we are commanded to love God and love our neighbor. So the contradiction of action, must mean that the claim to love Jesus isn't true. If the love is true, then it is not of the same Jesus of the Bible.

It's the last one that gets me and brings the words of Mr. Wehner to bear. The reality is that someone cannot STILL be a racist. The great Christian hope is that though we were once bigots, slanderers, racists, and murderers we can find real forgiveness. Not just for the white man, but for the brown, red, blue, green, and yellow man. Also for the woman, child, trans, or any other gender identity. God is love. He welcomes all. Unlike the rest of us who send others into danger for our benefit, He actually entered into danger for our benefit.

As I reflect on all of this, I want to offer a humble apology. I am sorry. I am sorry to all of the moms who have gone through a very difficult decision to abort their child and have found only animosity and condemnation in the Church. I am sorry to each refugee family fleeing for the lives, enduring years in a camp, passing every test, and having their hope of a better life crushed by the executive order of one man. I am sorry for those who are suffering and have only heard empty reassurances of a life to come. I am sorry that no one acknowledged your grief and sat with you in it. I am sorry for the times that Christians have not welcomed you into the same love and hope that is intended to bring life and joy.

Thanks to both Mr. Wehner and Mr. Aslan for sharing your thoughts. These are very helpful for me, and help expose in me the times I fail to live up to the claims of the Gospel. Also, thanks to the New York Times and to my mother-in-law who keeps our subscription current so we can have conversations about these very topics.

31

31

Two cold hard digits on the screen

haunt my heart my mind goes numb.

How can stolen lives be counted

and simply listed 31?

A yellow stat - as if to hide

a man, a dad, a mom or son

whom God so loved (and parents too)

now buried 'neath a 31.

Hanging teddies now bear witness

to blade or knife or car or gun

that took Noah, Charles, and Marquis

all together 31.

In Raleigh, Frayser, Hickory Hill

The Heights, Orange Mound, Binghampton

South Memphis, Midtown and Downtown

together lost our 31.

"My brother's keeper?" asked the ghost

of Cain. He walks my street at dawn

as the blood of Abel calls from the ground

to join these precious 31.

O God, my neighbors and my friends

are slain in streets under moon and sun.

Stretch out your hand to stop this war

and keep the number 31.

These black lives matter, I say, "NO MORE!"

We won't part with 34.

Honestly, I couldn't bear to see

The body count at 33.

Memphis, this is my call to you

Don't let the number be 32.

I Want to Be a Christian

Over the Christmas holiday, Leah and I spent some time with her family in Baltimore. One evening, Nancy (my mother-in-law) leaned over to me and shared Nicholas Kristof's article Am I a Christian, Tim Keller? 

This was a big moment for us - to be openly and calmly discussing things of faith and Christianity. It was great. I really enjoyed our conversation about the article, and some of the comments as well. Nancy had great questions about the uniqueness of the suffering of Jesus, the necessity of believing in the Virgin Birth, the nature of doubt in faith, and whether you had to believe everything or if there were parts that you could choose and leave others behind.

I don't pretend to have all of the answers to her questions, or to others. However, it occurred to me that these are really insightful questions. For many people, these questions are the concerns that have been on their mind, but they have either been unwilling or afraid to ask them. In some cases, they may have been told they couldn't ask them, or that the asking already expresses doubt and disqualifies them.

What struck me as I reflected on Nancy's questions and the comments of so many others on the article, was the number of people who sincerely desire to be a part of the Christian faith. When I read the questions about the details of believing, doubting, and specific questions, I hear and unspoken desire to be connected to the Church. I may be hearing things people aren't saying, but for the first time, I think I began to hear the true desire to belong from people that are wrestling with real questions about their faith.

One of the most powerful moments of the article, for me, was the question and answer about the role of doubt in the Christian faith:

Can I ask: Do you ever have doubts? Do most people of faith struggle at times over these kinds of questions?

Yes and yes. In the Bible, the Book of Jude (Chapter 1, verse 22) tells Christians to “be merciful to those who doubt.” We should not encourage people to simply stifle all doubts. Doubts force us to think things out and re-examine our reasons, and that can, in the end, lead to stronger faith.

I think it is very helpful for us to acknowledge the truth about where are hearts are as we reflect on our faith.

In order to continue to process this article, and the questions raised, I am going to take some time to develop my thoughts around the following questions:

• Why is the suffering of Jesus so unique or special when millions of others have endured such terrible suffering over the millennia of human history up to the present (Eben Spinoza's comment)?
• What is the nature of the Christian faith? Where is the boundary of those who are in and those who are out (Pastor Keller's response)?
• Who needs to believe (general response to comments/questions posed)

I'm glad to tackle others if anyone has comments or questions they want to add after reading the article.

The People Groan - But We Rejoice

When righteous people increase, the people [of God] rejoice, but when a wicked person rules, everybody groans. Proverbs 20:2

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Thank you, God, for the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. 

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It has helped me have deeper conversations with my neighbors, friends, and colleagues.

It has helped redirect my hope.

It has shed light on concerns of other Americans that I did not know existed.

It has helped clarify the true nature of our fellow Americans' attitude toward the rest of the world.

It has created an opportunity for the church to stand up for what she believes in regardless of political affiliation.

It is serving as a deeper call for every individual to get involved, and do something to ensure that the systems change.

It has helped me appreciate and respect previous Presidents.

It has caused me to pray more regularly and with more clarity and vigor for our country and for our leaders.

It has shown me my role to be a leader where I am, instead of hoping for someone else to lead me and others.

It has caused me to remember that there is no law against the fruit of the spirit.

It has caused me to be thankful for the checks and balances of power.

It has made me thankful for a peaceful transition of government.

It has made me thankful for the freedom of speech, that citizens of this country can question, refute, and challenge those in power.

It has given me more opportunities to encourage other believers in a real and tangible way as they process the results of the election and the additional decisions.

It has brought the plight of refugees to the forefront of conversation and consideration in the public eye.

It has emboldened me to live by the Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control), because against these things there is no law.

It will give an opportunity for Christian people to stand up in defense of their Muslim neighbors.

It will provoke more debate about the life of unborn children and the plight that faces women in crisis pregnancies.

It has made me look to God to ask what his purposes and plans are, and how he will use these things to bless those He loves and cares for.

It has caused my mother-in-law to have resolve to run for school board.

It will provoke many more people to take up the mantle of social justice for their neighbors, friends, and family.

It will provide a window in time for politicians to reveal their character as politically savvy or full of integrity.

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As I reflect on these things, I want my thanksgiving to be genuine. I want to believe that I would give thanks for these things regardless of who was elected. I want to believe that God will use this to bring His Kingdom here on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Sometimes I'm Afraid

I feel silly writing a blog.

I fear that people see it and think that I think I have something important to say. I do think I have something important to say. I like the way I frame things. It seems to me that other people appreciate it when I speak up about topics. But then I hear a voice asking me, "Why are your thoughts better than any others?"

I'm afraid that people will read my writing and think what I watching coach potatoes claim they can do a better job than professional athletes on the television.

In a world inundated with individuals "sharing" their every moment with the world, I wonder if there is any worth in submitting my thoughts to the same sea of personal disclosure.

I fear being too open. That somehow someone I work with will read what I've written and it might offend them.

I fear sharing thoughts about my personality, my inner thoughts, and my family, because someone I don't know might read them and learn something about me I don't want them to know.

I'm afraid that even if my sentences are coherent that my posts will too scattered to make sense - going from Gospel applications to social commentary to programming success to team building insights.

I'm afraid that I have something of a platform to share what God has done and risk not providing a balance to different thoughts represented on the internet.

I'm afraid that if I don't write some of my thoughts down they will never become clear.

I'm afraid that I won't have an outlet to practice writing and lose the discipline of expressing my thoughts clearly and concisely.

I'm afraid of losing a creative expression for poetry, metaphor, and turn of phrase. That email will become my only written expression that boils down to leaving co-workers electronic sticky notes.

I feel silly not writing a blog.

Practicing the Presence of God

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” Matthew 1:23-24

Immanuel. God with us. What a name!

At age 2, Titus love to play. He loves to look at rocket ship pictures, play with puzzles, and drive Thomas the Train. Whenever he goes into another room to play, he looks back and says, "Tome, Daddy. Tome." He will try his mother, sister, and anyone else he can find to "tome and play" with him. His desire is for us to be with him - to be present. While melting my heart, Titus helps me understand better our deepest heart desire.

A few weeks ago Angela Hanor shared at our Broad devotional that she was reflecting on the Advent in the three tenses - past, present, and future. She explained how we often reflect on the past coming of Christ and even look forward to the future coming. It was new to her, and new to me, to reflect on the present coming of Christ.

For the past, we remember the mystery and intrigue of angels appearing to Mary and Jospeh. We reenact the shepherds humble call. We tell our children about the inn that was full and the manager that became fit for the Infant King. We imagine the hope that the people of Israel had for the promised savior, and the joy that was shared even at that humble birth. We proclaim the peace that is offered through the love of the Father. In Advent, we remember when Jesus came.

For the future, we remind ourselves of the promises that Jesus has to return and to gather his church together. Like the Jewish people of old, we hope for the return of our promised Messiah. We anticipate the joy of his triumph over evil, and walk in peace assured of his victory. We look forward to the ultimate expression of love as we live and worship in His presence. In Advent, we look forward to when Jesus will come again.

But God is the God of all time - Past, Future, and Present. He is not only the God who was and will be. He is the God who is. His very name communicates that He is in the present; Yahweh - I AM THAT I AM. And yet, in most of my meditations on Advent, I have relegated him to be the I AM THAT I WAS or the I AM THAT I WILL BE. The Eternal God is always in the now. He is always present.

Just like Titus, we have a deep desire for God to be present with us. We long for Him to be with us and to enjoy his presence. This is what makes the promise of the Great Commission so special, "And lo, I am with you even to the end of the age."

Even as I read that promise, I have to admit that I do not always feel like that promise is true. As I was reflecting on this, I was reminded of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. In "Practicing the Presence", a collection of his letters to those asking these same questions, Brother Lawrence outlines the simplicity of this spiritual discipline. As a cook in a monastery, Brother Lawrence found that he could fellowship with God and experience his presence by doing two things - continuing the conversation and making the end of action the Love of God.

First, Brother Lawrence worked diligently continue the conversation with the Lord. This phrasing is especially helpful for me. Even after the initial prayer of the day or devotional time or hymn, he would work to listen to the Lord and respond in his heart and with his mouth to continue the conversation with the Lord. As Paul commanded, we are to pray continually.
As I asked others about reasons why we don't pray continually we thought of a few different reasons, why we can't do what Brother Lawrence spoke of:

1. Not being able to multi-task
2. Knowing that we are spending our time the best way and not wanting to invite the Lord there
3. Not having enough time to pray AND to do the tasks we have to do
4. Afraid that the Lord would call us to asceticism and tell us to give up everything

When we mentioned these and explored them further, we realized that the deeper issue under these is that there is a subtle lack of trust. We don't really trust that the Lord is good, that He is a good Father, and that He desires good for us. We are afraid that what he wants for us is not what we would want for ourselves. We think that the tasks that we have chosen are more important than asking what the Lord would even have us do. As this came out, I realized that I have held my to-do list very close, and need to continue the conversation with the Lord about what I commit to do.

Practically, continuing the conversation is simply conversing with the Lord with all the details of what is going on. As I rake the leaves, I talk to the Lord about tending his creation. As I hear about a coworkers personal issues, I hear the Lord speak a word to me about her that I choose to share. It seems so natural, and yet is a discipline for many of us. Trusting that it is the Lord's kindness that leads us to repentance helps free up my heart to let him in to speak to me about anything and everything I'm doing.

Second, Brother Lawrence intentionally looked at every action that he did and worked to make the purpose of it all the Love of God. His ultimate goal was to make sure that even if he was picking up straw in a field that it was done as an expression of love to the Lord. This second discipline in practicing the presence of God is one of intentionality and reflection. Love hopes all things and presses us to find the Lord in the simplicity of obedience in the day to day reality of life.

So, through these two disciplines there is a way to practice the presence of God and experience the wonder of Jesus' precious promise. In addition, the Advent in the Present happens through the Body of Christ here and now. Paul makes it clear that we as the church are the Body of Christ. Even more clearly, In Colossians 1, Paul said, "the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." The hope of glory is that Christ is in us. This means that the present Advent of Christ is us! We, the church, are Christ for the world now. He came physcially in the past, and will return bodily in the future. However, during this in-between time, we are to be his body, and Christ in us is the demonstration to the rest of the world of God's love through Christ.

Through all of this, I am encouraged that Jesus IS come. He is the I AM that I AM. He has promised to be present with us to the end of the age and we can experience this through continual conversation and intentionally seeking to love him in every action. And WE are the present coming of Christ. Christ in us is the hope of glory.

Amazing.

Vulnerability in the Workplace

Every morning at every one of our clinics we start the day with prayer. Some places are more faithful and Spirit-led than others. Some mornings are more full of the faithful than others. Over the past 2.5 years I have found that we are generally not very good at prayer and that we quickly lose a sense of desperately needing God to intervene in our lives and move on our behalf.

Much of this is exacerbated by the fact that we don't really know one another. It's funny. We're a Christian organization, so we should have more connection and love for one another than most places. On the other hand, we are a business, and so for some reason we have to work really hard to maintain that sense of unity, brotherly love, and Christian witness.

As we begin to push more for unity in our workplace through prayer, I began to worry about people being vulnerable with one another in the work environment. I think I was afraid on other people's behalf that they would get burned by what they share, or that in the end something might happen that would cause them to regret the things they shared in prayer.

In response, in here are a few reasons I am using to convince myself to encourage vulnerability in our in our morning prayer to spur on deeper trust, true unity, and the bond of love.

1. Vulnerability builds trust. We are our around our co-workers more than any other people during our week. We need to trust one another and that comes with exposing who we really are.

2. As members of the body of Christ, we are called to build one another up for the good works that God has prepared for us. We need to know each other and know one another's weaknesses in order to build each other up.

3. The up shot is the wonder of 1 Corinthians 13 and the power of love. The risk is getting burned. The up side outweighs the risk. C. S. Lewis said it much better, when he pointed out:

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.

4. If it is in fact our weaknesses that reveal the strength of God, and we desire to make God look good, then we will willing reveal our weaknesses to make God look great.

5. Conversely, in our strength and smugness we are very efficient atheists (this is a borrowed term, I can remember to whom it belongs). Therefore, to combat our lack of faith in God's power and strength, we must reveal our weaknesses to one another.

6. 2 Chronicles 30:12 has a neat story about how God granted the unity of the people of Judah to carry out the kings commands, according to God's will. In our work place we are carrying out the commands of our bosses which should be according to the will of God. So our exposure of our short comings should be an act of faith that God will use it to grant us unity in our mission together.

7. John 17:23 records Jesus saying that our unity is what will let the world know that we are Christians. In order to achieve unity, we must know one another.

8. In Ephesians 4:3 Paul admonishes us to make every effort to maintain unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Vulnerability helps us maintain unity. It is disarming and endearing.

9. We often have the wrong impressions. Proverbs 18:17 says that the first to present a case seems right until the neighbor comes to cross examine. The truth of the matter is that in our work places, we make our own first judgment about people based on an interaction, and never offer up a chance for cross examination to change our opinions. Vulnerability will help us think better of one another.

So, I am resolved to continue to encourage my co-workers to begin to trust one another, open up, and be vulnerable that we might show our love for one another.