The Church and Politics

The political season is well under way here in the good ole U. S. of A.

And I must admit that I am kind of a political junkie. I majored in Poli-Sci as an undergraduate at UCLA and I try to stay current on political issues.

But when it comes to my role as Pastor, I try to keep my political leanings out of the pulpit. I am concerned that I might abuse my authority. I'm also concerned with communicating to anyone that they must share my political philosophy in order to be saved. My job is to teach the Word and to preach the Gospel, not politics.

And one of the distressing "branding" problems for Christians and especially Evangelicals in the US today is related to politics. In the 80's, Evangelicals discovered that they could grab the levers of political power and exert their influence through such groups as Moral Majority and Christian Coalition. Pastors are frequently lured by their relationships to political leaders into becoming political advocates. And the message that the world gets is that Christians are just interested in power and that they are just too political.

Yet I can't tell you how many hours I've spent in pastors' prayer meetings praying for governmental agencies to approve some facility for a church. The same politicians who are courting the friendship of churches become the biggest enemies of churches when their tax-base is threatened.

In Romans 13, Paul gives instructions to the Roman church about their relationship to the governing authorities. What is amazing is that Paul probably wrote this during the reign of one of the most despotic emperors in history, Nero. He tells the Roman churches to "submit" to the authorities, to "do what is right" (be law abiding citizens) and pay whatever taxes are due.

But the church of Paul's time was a small and obscure sect of Judaism in the eyes of Rome. They were not in a place to influence government policies. They were simply trying to live as an exemplary community, maintaining a positive reputation so that the testimony of Christ was enhanced. They wanted to be an aroma, not a stench (to quote Rich Buhler).

It was only after Constantine that Christianity assumed a new relationship to the state in the West. The church was no longer being persecuted, but was now tempted to rely on political power rather than the power of God to grow. And so it has been in the West ever since.

In Europe, church power and state power became inseparable. Thus, the motivation for the framers of the U.S. constitution to put into the first amendment the ban on the establishment of a state religion and a ban on any limitations to the free exercise of religion (commonly called the wall of separation, although that language is from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danville Baptists).

So how then are we to live? I believe we can learn a lesson from Paul. Let us seek to be good citizens whose presence is an enriching and positive one that can be felt and seen by those around us. As a group, let us resist the temptation to grab the levers of power and try to implement a social agenda through politics. But let us take our citizenship seriously by becoming informed on issues and contributing our part, whether that is by voting, serving jury duty or simply attending local council and PTA meetings.

And yes, we can expect and, indeed, should pray for those Christians whose calling is to politics. May they be the moralizing influence in society that gifted and called vocations in all other fields should be.

But let us resist the temptation to try to implement our moralizing influence through politics. When we do that, we become just another competing power and we lose our fragrance in society.

A Daily Routine

In many ways, I am a creature of habit.

I get up in the morning about the same time every day, make a half pot of coffee, eat the same breakfast, read the paper and do the crossword. And it is very difficult for me to interrupt my habits. For instance, I have found it very difficult to get a regular exercise regimen added to my daily routine.

More than a year ago, I began to use The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle to work a rhythm of prayer into my day. I observe the "Morning Office" regularly and I am attempting to add "Compline" to my evening practices. Such daily prayer cycles were part of Israel's pattern and carried over to the early church. It is a way of habituating my prayer life.

Paul exhorts us to develop a ritual in our lives:
"Therefore, I urge you, brethren, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship" (Rom. 12: 1).

First, Paul points to the incredible mercy of God that he has taken 11 chapters to describe, ending in his wonderful doxology at the end of chapter 11. So, our ritual sacrifices are a response to God's goodness.

Second, he uses the metaphor of the temple sacrifices to paint a picture. Our sacrifice is very much like those performed at regular intervals for the community--daily, weekly and on Holy Days. Paul seems to have a particular sacrifice in mind--the whole burnt offering in which the entire animal was placed on the fire and consumed.

Third, the offering of our bodies is called a "spiritual act of worship." But the underlying Greek is unusual, not at all the wording you would expect. Why? Because Paul is reinforcing his metaphor.

The Greek word translated "spiritual" is logikos (based in the inner will or reason), not pneumatikos (based in the spirit). That is, Paul is contrasting the new Christian kind of worship to that of the Jewish priesthood. Theirs is physical, but ours is an act of the mind, will, emotions, reason, spirit--in other words, we are not physically laying our bodies on an altar. Instead, it is an act of our heart.

The Greek word translated "worship" is latreia (service of worship), not the usual proskuneo (worship). This word comes from the same root that we get the word "liturgy" from. The Jewish priests performed a service of worship--sacrificial rituals. We also have a priestly calling to perform regular sacrificial service to our God--daily, weekly and on special occasions.

My expanded paraphrase: "Therefore, in light of God's incredible display of mercy, I am exhorting all of you believers to offer yourselves entirely to God, just like the whole burnt offering that is holy and pleasing, a kind of heartfelt priestly service of worship."

How about adding that to your daily ritual?

Run the Race

I was not really an athlete during my childhood. I could barely make it once around the track (that was only a quarter of a mile). I was way too short for basketball and way too small for American football. The only "sport" I could compete in was bowling.

As an adult, I am still trying to convince my wife that golf is a sport. It doesn't really help my case when she sees golfers who are over-weight, smoking cigars, drinking beer, driving around in a cart and still beating me.

But even though I may not be a jock, I still enjoy watching a good sporting event, especially when the time comes for the Olympic games. There is something noble about watching people pour their hearts and souls into becoming the best in the world at some event. And there is inherent drama in every competition. Characters, conflict, tension, success and defeat.

The apostle Paul would probably have been stuck on ESPN. He uses sports analogies all the time throughout his letters.

The writer of Hebrews gives a full chapter of examples of faith from the Old Testament and then compares our own test of faith to a race. Those who have gone before us are now gathered in the arena seats and they are cheering us on.

Of course the real point is that the call of faith is like running in a race. It takes the kind of commitment that athletes must have to compete--plus a lot of sweat--to compete well. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to do three things in order to compete in the "Faith Games."

1.  Lay aside sin and and other entanglements.

2.  Run with "endurance", that is, push through the pain.

3.  Fix your eyes on Jesus.

Jesus is called the "author and perfector" of our faith. That is, he is the pioneer and supreme example who has gone before us and demonstrated a mature or complete faith. Therefore our eyes are to be focused on Him.

"Consider him..." That is, meditate on the example of Jesus as you run the race.

My paraphrase:
"With the knowledge that so many great examples of persevering faith have completed the race before us and are now seated in the arena to cheer us on, let us get rid of all the sinful patterns and distracting entanglements that might wrap around our legs and trip us up. Then, let us run this race in a way that bears up with determination under the pain and distress that surely comes up as we exert ourselves. Finally, let us stay focused on Jesus Himself, the supreme trailblazer and example of maturity in the faith. Meditate constantly on how He endured persecution and hostility--going all the way for us--so that you can also complete the race that has been laid out for you" (Heb. 12: 1-3 paraphrase).

Let's go for the gold!

Rejoice in Suffering

Sometimes I think that the apostle Paul was just plain nuts!

At the beginning of the fifth chapter of Romans, Paul writes this: "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings..." (Rom. 5: 3a). Does Paul mean that, when he is going through the tribulations that come with this life that he skips around all giddy and happy?

Kind of reminds me of Kevin Bacon in "Animal House" getting paddled in his undies, "Thank you sir, may I have another."

What is interesting is that Paul used the same word in the previous verse: "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God" (vs. 2b). He obviously is tying these two things together. We rejoice in hope and in tribulations.

Other versions translate "kauchaomai" (rejoice) with the word "glory" or "exult" or "boast".  The underlying idea is that the experiences of hope-in-God's-glory and suffering-under-tribulations releases an uplifting sense of God's good work and a pride in that good work.

Let me paraphrase: "When we grasp the reality of our new standing in Christ, that we have a sure hope in our eternal place in Him and the glory of His good work of redemption--then we will be uplifted and place our sure and abiding confidence in that hope. In the same way, when we go through the tribulations that are sure to accompany anyone who has placed their hope in Christ, then we will have the same sense of uplifting and confidence because we will see it through the perspective of our new standing in Him."

In other words, the suffering does not invalidate our faith, instead it can be experienced as just a further example of our joyous confidence in God. All tribulation is now experienced as redemptive. "...we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (vv. 3b-4).

James says something similar: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (Jas. 1: 2-4).

Jesus, as our supreme example, pushed through the pain of his trial in order to attain the greater goal of eternal glory with the Father and redemption for us. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider (meditate on) him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" (Heb. 12: 2-3).

It takes an effort to take the most severe trials and tribulations and "reframe" them as things to "boast" in. Yet, one of the incredible realities of our faith is that it helps us to see even our most painful trials as part of the bigger journey we are on--the journey that leads to our eternal place in His Kingdom.

Prayer Power

I would love to claim that I have mastered the art of prayer. But, alas, I must confess that I suffer from a somewhat erratic prayer life.

Don't get me wrong. I am a pray-er and I am constantly working on becoming a better pray-er. But I often fall short of the kind of prayer life that I desire. Can you relate?

That is why Matt. 26: 41 has been a difficult one for me to read without feeling a twinge of guilt. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."

If you take a step back and look at the entire flow of the chapter, Matthew 26, you will see three major characters dominating the storyline: Jesus, Judas and Peter. In one way, each represents a kind of pray-er.

Jesus is the obedient Son who watches and prays. He is honest about his struggles with his Father. He asks if the trial can be removed. But he ends up accepting God's will , even if it means suffering. In other words, Jesus is not satisfied until he has prayed to a conclusion--understanding God's will and finding the strength to obey.

Judas is the person of the flesh. He sees the priceless ointment wasted and it triggers his greed. He decides to cut his losses. He has always been in it for himself: "God's will be damned! I'll at least make some money off the whole sorry mess." There's no sign that he cares what God thinks about his course of action. Only afterwards does he feel remorse. But there's a big difference between remorse and repentance.

Peter is the well-intentioned but undisciplined believer. He wants to follow Jesus, but he is powerless to do it. Maybe because of his prayer-less-ness. But also because of his lack of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the truly empowered one of the three. And he has to finish his work in order to make the Holy Spirit available to all believers.  The proof? The massive change in Peter after Pentecost.

I can relate to Peter. Can you? The call to all of us is clear: "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."

I don't believe that this should be a discouraging word. Instead, it is a word of instruction. Don't be surprised when your human nature, motivated by our fallen fleshly appetites, is actively resisting your best of intentions in the spirit.

Paul confessed a similar struggle in Romans 7.

The answer lies in what happened at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit has been given so that we have a source of power to draw on. Because the flesh is weak and because Jesus knows that our flesh is weak, he has given us a power that can surpass the weakness of our fallen nature.

So, if you want to grow in prayer, begin by asking to be filled with the Spirit.

Honoring Rich Buhler

Rich Buhler went to be with the Lord on Monday night, May 7, 2012. He was best known as a Christian talk-radio show host and author. But he was also a wonderful disciple of Jesus whose life should be remembered and honored.

"Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him" (Php. 2: 29).

My knowledge of Rich goes back probably to about 1982 when I first started listening to him on the radio. I remember him interviewing a certain John Wimber. I turned to my wife and said, "Listen, this pastor believes the same stuff we do!" This led, eventually, to us becoming members of the Anaheim Vineyard and subsequently to a life-long love affair with the Vineyard movement.

It was in the summer of 1993 that I first became friends with Rich Buhler. We were participating in a small group and, for 30 days, I called him daily as my sponsor. That group was life-changing for all of us.

So many of the conversations Rich broadcast in those days opened new ways of thinking for me. Perhaps most significantly was when he would have Jan Frank, author of Door of Hope, or any number of other Christian counselors. You could feel the attitude towards personal recovery and the benefits of sound psychological counseling change throughout the Evangelical Christian community.

And it was like that for so many other topics as well. Rich was not only a seasoned reporter, always intent on getting to the truth, but he was a life-long learner. If you listened to him, you heard him learn and grow, and it helped you to learn and grow right along with him.

And I am not sure if I know of anyone else who possessed such a unique blend of verbal dexterity, deep pastoral wisdom, a keen mind and such an obvious love of people. Perhaps that's why, for anyone who listened to him, you felt like you knew him. And, indeed, you did. Because here was "an Israelite in whom was no guile."

Last year, I was privileged to be honored at a special appreciation service. Rich sent something to me, since he could not be there. A shepherd's staff. I knew that he was in the habit of honoring people who he believed were true pastors with this sign of recognition. It meant--and it means--all the world to me, and especially because it came from someone I consider to have been a true shepherd as well.

Our loss is heaven's gain. Thank you, Rich, for being a faithful and true witness.

Peace Child

The famous missionary book by Don Richardson, Peace Child, was popular among evangelicals during my college days and it continues to be a powerful illustration of what Richardson calls, "redemptive analogies."

The cannibalistic and head-hunting tribal cultures in what was then Dutch West New Guinea were a challenging mission field. The Richardsons lived among the Sawi. It was an effort just to learn the complex language.

But when he was able to tell them the story of Christ, they laughed at the betrayal of Judas. Because of their cultural values, Judas appeared to be the hero and Jesus the dupe.

But how to communicate the message of Christ in such a different culture? Richardson says that all cultures have some kind of practice or custom that will provide the redemptive analogy if the missionary will prayerfully look for it. The analogy for the Sawi culture was the practice of the "peace child."

In order to negotiate peace between warring tribes, the leaders hand over one of their own children to the other tribe for safe-keeping. This ensures the negotiated peace between the tribes is maintained.

Of course, Richardson could then use this custom to talk about how God sent His Peace Child to us. This resulted in many conversions and the ultimate success of the mission work.

As a church-planting pastor in North America, this example may seem exotic and irrelevant. But it is highly relevant to our evangelistic work in the West.

The culture around us is changing. And the message of the church has often become marginalized and labeled as irrelevant. The Evangelical church in particular is often seen as full of hypocrites (see unChristian, by Kinnaman and Lyons for example).

The apostle Paul tells us that he changed his approach to his mission depending on the cultural context.

"To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some" (1 Cor. 9: 20-22).

The job of the church remains the same. To incarnate ourselves in the culture to which we are called. And once there, to look for those redemptive analogies that will help us to bring the unchanging message of salvation to the shifting world-views around us. How are you doing with that task?