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The Gospel and Politics

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The-sparation-fo-Church-and-StateWe can thank God that we live in a country where we have the freedom of religion, but we must be careful how we go about trying to maintain it.

Depending on the government for our religion freedom is counterproductive, and leads people to believe that freedom of religion is based on the other freedom which the governments grants, such as the freedom to collect tax-free tithes, the freedom to assemble, and the freedom of free speech.

But such things are not necessary for following Jesus, and depending on such things may actually lead us away from the values of Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

Stanley Hauerwas put it this way:

…The question is not whether the church has the freedom to preach the gospel in America, but whether the church in America preaches the gospel as truth. The question is not whether we have freedom of religion and a corresponding limited state in America, but whether we have a church that has a people capable of saying no to the state. No state, particularly a democratic state, is kept limited by constitutions, but rather states are limited by people with the imagination and courage to challenge the inveterate temptation of the state to ask us to compromise our loyalty to God.

In other words, by looking to the state to affirm our right to practice religion, we have sacrificed our ability to be the voice of conscience to the state. Depending on the government for our freedom of religion has made us a government chaplain in the pay of the state, afraid of losing our jobs if we offend our employer.

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Blue Like Jazz – The Movie

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Blue Like Jazz, the Movie hits theaters today. I wish I could go see it, but there are no theaters near where I live that are showing it.

Oh well, I’ll get the DVD….

How about you? Are you going to go see it? Why or why not? If you do see it, let me know what you think.

Blue Like Jazz - The Movie

I like Blue Like Jazz – the book, and I briefly wrote about my “conversion” regarding this book here.

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If Christianity Became Illegal

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church and stateThe way Christianity is most often practiced in the United States (and other Western countries) today, we need the permission of the governments to continue practicing in such a way.

We depend on zoning laws for our buildings and parking lots. We depend on tax-exemptions to make our mortgage payments. We depend on 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable donations to receive our income.

If the government stepped in and did away with just these three things, but did not make Christianity illegal, I fear that most Christian churches would fold. Western Christianity depends upon such things for survival, which means that we depend upon our government for survival.

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Against a Christian Government

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church and state separationFrom a practical standpoint, a case can be made against the freedom of religion and the separation of church and state.

Christianity Thrives where Christianity is Illegal

If one looks throughout the world and throughout history, the places and eras where Christianity is the most vibrant, faithful, effective, and Spirit-led, are the places where Christianity is illegal.

It seems that when governments put their stamp of approval on Christianity as a religion, or when governments step back and allow people to worship as they see fit, it is then that Christian vibrancy and faithfulness suffers.

Christianity Dies where Christianity Rules

But worse yet is when Christianity becomes the state religion. Some of the bloodiest and cruelest eras in history have been when Christianity gained the power of the state and became the official religion of the government. The crimes that are committed in the name of Christ by “Christian governments” are some of the worst the world has ever seen.

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Separation of Church and State is Not Constitutional and Not Biblical

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Freedom of ReligionI am glad that I live in a country that offers the freedom of religion. It would not be pleasant to live where I would be fearful for my life and liberty simply for owning a Bible or gathering with other believers to pray and worship God. Living in a country where we have the freedom to believe what we want about God and worship God as we see fit is a great privilege and a great benefit.

But is the freedom of religion a guaranteed right? The first amendment to the constitution contains these words: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Since this amendment is part of what is known as “The Bill of Rights” many people believe that the freedom of religion is a “right.” We demand this right, fight for this right, and sue other people and organizations whom we feel infringe upon this right.

The Separation of Church and State

I am not a constitutional scholar, but let us consider the idea of the “freedom of religion” from several angles. First, let us look at the freedom of religion from a historical and political perspective. The section of the First Amendment to the Constitution which deals with religion is known as “The Establishment Clause.” It says that congress will make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Politicians, theologians, judges, and constitutional lawyers have debated for centuries what exactly this means, but it is from this statement that people get the idea about “the separation of church and state.”

The Separation of Church and State is Not in the Constitution

Strictly speaking, the idea of “the separation of church and state” is not in the constitution. Most people think it is, but the constitution says nothing of the sort. It simply has the Establishment Clause, which is interpreted in various ways, one of them being “the separation of church and state,” which in turn is sufficiently ambiguous to be applied in numerous different fashions.

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What if Jesus did not rise from the dead?

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What if Jesus did not rise?I believe the resurrection did, in fact, occur. I believe Jesus truly did rise physically from the grave on the third day after He was crucified and buried. But the question before us is, “What if Jesus did not rise from the dead?”

There are a thousand possible answers to such a question, but let’s just face the music and jump to the hardest and most troublesome answer of all: If Jesus did not rise from the dead, probably most of Christianity is a lie. We could probably hold on to the idea of God, and some of the historical events in the Bible, but beyond that, most of it would probably not be true.

I mean, if the resurrection of Jesus did not happen, then most of the Bible is probably not true because most of the Bible is centered on the idea of the resurrection.

If the resurrection did not happen, the truthfulness of the Bible itself should be doubted.

But you know what?

Even if the Bible cannot be trusted, even if Christianity is based on a lie, even if nothing I believe is actually true, I don’t think much of anything in my life would change.

Why not?

Because what other options are there?

Should I join a different religion? Which one? I have studied and worked with all the various religions, and find none of them as compelling or life-changing as Jesus. I find all of them to be less inspiring than the stories about Jesus and the truths contained in Scripture, even if these things are lies.

If everything about Jesus is a lie, I would rather follow the lie that is Jesus than the truth of any world religion.

What about atheism? God, no! (I am not cursing! That was a pun!) I know many atheists, and I guess I would rather live by an inspiring story I knew was mostly wrong than a belief that everything is chance and nothing has meaning beyond the physical realm. Call it a crutch if you want, but I have enough trouble living life with God. I cannot imagine trying to get through life without Him.

If the resurrection did not happen, then most of the Bible is probably false. But that does not mean that some other religion is true, or that we must all become atheists.

To the contrary, even if the resurrection did not happen, we can still follow the teachings and example of Jesus. Why? Because there is no other person or idea in any other religion or in all of history that is more inspiring, loving, and hopeful than Jesus.

Even if Jesus did not rise from the dead, I would still follow Jesus. For me, there is no other option.

C.S. Lewis once considered a similar question. In one of his letters to a friend, Lewis explained what he would do if he found out that God had actually lost the cosmic battle to Satan. In such a case, there would be no heaven for believers, no hope for life after death, no cause to believe that God was all-powerful or perfect. But in such a situation, what would C. S. Lewis do? Here is what he wrote:

Even if—let’s make an impossible supposition—His voice—unmistakably His, said to me, “They have misled you. I can do nothing [about taking you to heaven]. My long struggle with the blind forces is nearly over. I die, children. The story is ending,” would that be a moment for changing sides? Would not you and I take the Viking way: “The Giants and Trolls win. Let us die on the right side, with Father Odin” (Letters to Malcolm, 120).

What if the resurrection is false?In other words, C. S. Lewis says that even if God Himself spoke to Lewis and told him that it was all a lie, that God had tried His hardest, but had finally lost, and was now about to disappear into oblivion and defeat, C. S. Lewis says it would not matter one bit. He would still stick with God. He would not switch sides. He would go down fighting, next to our dying God.

That is the same way I feel about Jesus.

I firmly believe everything written about Him in the Scriptures. I believe it is all true. I believe in the virgin birth, the miracles, the teachings, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus.

But if He were to appear to me and say, “You’ve been misled. Yes, I lived and died, and some of the stories are true, but most of it is a lie. I have been defeated. Sin and Satan won. Death was not destroyed. We are all heading into oblivion,” I would shrug my shoulders and say, “It matters not. I will follow what is written anyway, for there is no better way to live. And though the battle has been lost, at least maybe I can show some love and care to a few more people before we are all swept away.”

So what if Jesus did not rise from the dead? My answer is, “So what? I will follow Him anyway. Following the example of Jesus is by far the best way to live.”

This post is part of the April 2012 Synchroblog. Here is a list of the other contributors. Go check them all out!

The cross of Jesus is CENTRAL to everything!

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Jesus Welcomes Doubters Too

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Jesus faith and doubtWhat does Jesus think about doubt?

It is common in Christian circles today to require faith and certainty before people are allowed to serve. We feel people need to be sure that Jesus was the Messiah, was God in the flesh, died on the cross, and rose again from the dead before we give them an opportunity to follow Jesus into the world.

Until people get this faith and certainty, we often don’t feel they are fully qualified to serve in church. Instead, we recommend they read a book on proofs for the Christian faith, attend a class about the basics of Christianity, or perform some sort of other study so that they can gain the faith and certainty we feel is necessary for followers of Jesus.

It does not appear that Jesus feels the same way.

Throughout His entire ministry He was calling and inviting people to follow Him who knew next to nothing about Him, and were sometimes even antagonistic to who He was and what He stood for. But Jesus knew that if they followed Him, they could learn about Him while they were in the midst of loving and serving others.

One event in the Gospels shows this more than any other.

After Jesus died on the cross, and after He has risen from the dead, and after He has appeared numerous times to His apostles, and after He has eaten with them, talked with them, and let them touch His resurrected body, He appears to them again.

And this time, Matthew 28:16-17 says that some of the apostles bowed to Him, but others did not bow, because they doubted.

Do you see it?

Some of the apostles still doubted.

There is lots of debate in the commentaries and scholarly articles about whether it was really the apostles who doubted or someone else, and whether or not they really doubted, or it was just an inquisitive faith, or maybe they didn’t really doubt Jesus, but they doubted that this person who appeared to them this time was really Jesus, and on and on it goes.

But let’s call a spade a spade.

Some of the apostles doubted.

The Greek word for “doubted” is tricky here and very rare, but let’s not use fancy seminarian hermeneutical tricks to remove the force of the text. Some of the apostles did not bow to Jesus. Why not? Because they doubted.

Does Jesus care that some doubt? Not one bit.

The very next section in Matthew is one of the most important in the Bible. It contains the Great Commission. The greatest task ever given to mankind by God is given to this motley crew of apostles, some of whom believe, and some of whom doubt. He takes all the power and authority that is in heaven and on earth and gives it to them. Yes, all of them. The doubters too. And he says, “Go. Be like Me to the world.”

I love this about Jesus.

People who have been with Him for three years. Have seen Him work miracles. Have heard His teachings. Have eaten meals with Him. And after He dies and rises from the dead, while some of them believe, others still doubt.

And Jesus just shrugs His shoulders and says, “It’s good enough. Go. Whether you believe or whether you still have doubts, you can still act like me, and talk like me, and love like me, and serve like me in this world. Go. Be Me in the World.”

When some of the disciples doubt, Jesus shrugs His shoulders and invites them to follow Him in loving others anyway.

So do you believe? Do you doubt? Maybe you have some odd mixture of both? Either way is fine with Jesus.

For now, He just wants you to be like Him in this world. To follow Him in loving and serving others.

Faith and Doubt ASBO Jesus

The cross of Jesus is CENTRAL to everything!

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The Two Most Beautiful Words in the Gospels

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Peter wept bitterlyWhat are the most beautiful words in the Gospels?

These two right here:

…and Peter…

These two words are found in Mark 16:7 and I find them to be the most beautiful and moving words in the Gospels. Every single time I read them, they get my heart beating. They give me shivers and chills. Sometimes I even choke up in tears.

…and Peter…

Why?

We all know what Peter did. He was one of the three closest companions that Jesus had. He was the spokesperson for the twelve apostles. He was the one who promised He would never deny Jesus.

And when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter was the only one who tried to defend Jesus.

When Jesus was escorted away to His trial, Peter was the only apostle who followed. The rest scattered into the night and hid.

…and Peter…

Peter denies ChristYet despite all this zeal for Jesus, it was only Peter who verbally denied Jesus. It was only Peter who cursed Jesus. Not once. Not twice. But three times. (Possibly even six times.)

This is certainly the low point of Peter’s life. He feels abandoned and betrayed. And Peter even betrays and denies Jesus. He probably feels that all is lost, and that whatever happens, He is lost for eternity. He is done for. God will never forgive him.

All of us have felt this way from time to time. Like we have done something or said something so terrible that Jesus could never forgive us.

…and Peter…

So when Jesus rises from the dead, I find it terribly comforting that when the angel tells the two women who first witness His resurrection to go and tell His disciples that Jesus has risen, the angel emphasizes that they must also tell Peter. He singles Peter out. “Go tell the disciples,” the angel says, “and Peter…”

Yes.

…and Peter…

The resurrection of Jesus is for all of us. It is for the Mother Theresas of the world and the Hitlers.

The resurrection is for John the beloved disciple, and Judas the traitor.

The resurrection is for you, me, …and Peter.

If you ever doubt or wonder about Jesus’ love for you, just remember these two words which tell us so much about our own sin, the heart of Jesus, and the complete forgiveness and love offered to us through His death and resurrection.

…and Peter…

The cross of Jesus is CENTRAL to everything!

Transform your life and theology by focusing on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus:

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Why Did Jesus Wait Three Days to Rise from the Dead?

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Jesus ResurrectionMaybe this is a pointless question, but why did Jesus wait three days to rise from the dead?

I mean, once He died, He had fully paid the penalty for the sins of all mankind. Why couldn’t He just resurrect right there, jump down from the cross, dust himself off, and call it good?

Maybe he needed to be buried in the grave. Fine. But why wait three days for the resurrection? Why not get wrapped in burial clothes, then rise sometime during that first night?

Here are some possible reasons, but honestly, I find none of them satisfactory.

To prove He was dead

I suppose some could argue that He had to stay in the tomb for three days to prove He was dead. There is, after all, the “swoon theory” in which people say Jesus didn’t really die, but just went unconscious. I suppose if Jesus “resurrected” two minutes after dying on the cross, this theory would be much more plausible. But when Jesus is buried in tomb for three days, this theory loses all credibility.

But at the same time, this still doesn’t answer the question. If Jesus wanted to prove He was dead, why not wait seven days? Or thirty? I suppose these longer periods can be disregarded because God did not want Jesus to see decay (Ps 16:10; Acts 2:27). But even in three days the body of Jesus would have started to decay.

To fulfill prophecy

Some say that Jesus had to spend three days in the grave to fulfill prophecy. Which prophecy? The sign of Jonah, who spent three days in the belly of a great fish (cf. Matt 12:39-40). But we must be careful here because the story of Jonah is not really a prophecy. Yes, Jesus prophesied that He would be in the grave for three days, just like Jonah was in the fish for three days, but if Jesus had never said this, then there would be no such thing as a prophecy about spending three days in the grave.

So this answer just kicks the question back a little further: Why three days? Why couldn’t Jesus have connected His death with the creation of the world, and said a prophecy about how “Just as the world was created in six days, and on the sixth day, Adam was raised from the dust of the ground, so also, after six days the Son of Man also will rise from the dust”? Jesus could have taken any number of stories and accounts in the Bible and turned them into a prophecy about how long He would be in the tomb. Why did He pick the story of Jonah? What is special about three days?

To increase faith

Another possible explanation is that Jesus wanted to increase the faith of His followers. By not resurrecting right away, they had to question why they had followed Him, and whether He was truly the Messiah. They had to work through the despair of losing Him, and the questions of what would have happened if they had not followed Him, or if they had defended Him better, or if they had simply been duped.

By waiting three days, Jesus allowed them time to work through some of these issues and questions. But again, this begs the question. If three days does this, why not seven, or twelve, or forty, all of which are also significant biblical numbers.

Could not rise during the Sabbath

It could be argued that resurrection is work, and so Jesus could not rise on the Sabbath, but had to wait until the Sabbath was over. This argument actually has some merit. But Jesus was always doing things on the Sabbath that other Jewish people frowned upon, including healing on the Sabbath. So it seems He could have been raised on the Sabbath also.

Acting as our High Priest

Maybe Jesus was busy “doing stuff” in paradise, hell, and heaven. You know, High Priestly stuff like sprinkling blood on the altar in heaven, defeating sin, death, and the devil, preaching to spirits in prison, that sort of thing (Hebrews 9; 1 Pet 3:19).

I suppose this is possible. It just doesn’t really explain why these things took three days.

It doesn’t matter

Maybe it doesn’t matter. Maybe it was all just random. Maybe Jesus picked a number out of the air, and selected Jonah as a way of making a prophecy about it to prove that He could predict the future, which would then prove that He was a prophet of God when the prophecy came true. But the number of days in the grave is irrelevant. It just happens to be what Jesus chose.

I just struggle with this because the biblical authors seem to place such an emphasis on three days in the grave.

But in the end, I have no answer. But that’s okay, because …

The important thing is that Jesus rose

We can all agree here. Maybe questioning why Jesus spent three days in the grave is a pointless question which only theologians ask. The important thing is that Jesus rose from the dead, and for this, we can praise and thank God for all eternity.

It is difficult to know why Jesus spent three days in the grave. But the important thing is that He rose again!

Theologians like to ask these sorts of questions about Scripture, theology, and Jesus, but in the end, what it all comes down to is believing what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, even if we do not understand all the details.

The cross of Jesus is CENTRAL to everything!

Transform your life and theology by focusing on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus:

Fill out the form below to receive several emails from me about the death and resurrection of Jesus.

(Note: If you are a member of RedeemingGod.com, login and then revisit this page to update your membership.)

Free Books by Francis Chan

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Arthur Sido alerted me to the fact that Francis Chan’s books are available for free download today. Thanks, Arthur! And thanks, Francis!

I am not sure how long they will remain free, so go download your copies right away!

UPDATE: The books are no longer free… But if you subscribe to my newsletter, you can get a free ebook, and all future ebooks will be given to newsletter subscribers for free.

Forgotten God
Crazy Love
Erasing Hell

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