Okay, this will be a terribly undeep discussion. Aaron sent me a link to WorldNetDaily the other day and I read the article, commented and then browsed a couple of the links. From what I gather, WorldNetDaily is a christian news website (I think it used to be a magazine?), so one of it’s article titles struck me: “Obama aide says he didn’t mean to blaspheme Jesus”

The title doesn’t strike me because it has anything to do with politics, but that it seems to imply that they think this guy blasphemed Jesus. I clicked the article to see what they considered blasphemy; wouldn’t want to show up in one of their articles myself. Here’s what they said:

(Subtitle of article) Stopped using ‘gay’ video piece after Christian confronted him

[Larry Lessig] denies he had blasphemous intent by including in his lectures a video of a ‘gay’ Jesus Christ sashaying nearly naked down a city street to the tune of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” only to get run over by a bus.”

From what I gather what’s blasphemous is:

1. The writer at WorldNet finds the way Jesus is depicted in the video as ‘gay’.
2. Lessig’s showed the video (not made by him) to others.

But, here’s what’s crazy about this to me:

1. From what I can see in the video and the article, the only person insisting Jesus is ‘gay’ is the WorldNet author. The character in the video is certainly expressive, but it is quite simply reinforcing a stereotype to say that his personality in the video is ‘gay’.
2. WorldNet news actually shows the video on their website article! They have a concise youtube video embedded in the article, available for you to see the whole thing. If Lessig’s blaspheme was in showing the video to others, then WorldNet is just as blasphemous.

So, I guess the decision is up to you. Is the video blasphemous? And if so, are Lessig’s and WorldNet news both guilty? (And I guess I might be guilty as well in suggesting you should go watch the video)

Caring for the poor is not some unique passion of mine. My awareness of my need to care for the poor came during some of the more spiritual dark times of my life, when I picked up my Bible and starting reading the words of Jesus…

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” (Luke 14:13)

‘Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

And then this one:

Luke 10:27-37
He answered: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Shane Claiborne shares a beautiful picture of loving sacrifice by Mother Teresa in his book, Irresistible Revolution:

People often ask me what Mother Teresa was like. … She was short, wrinkled, and precious, maybe even a little ornery, like a beautiful, wise old granny. But there is one thing I will never forget – her feet. Her feet were deformed. Each morning in Mass, I would stare at them. I wondered if she had contracted leprosy. But I wasn’t going to ask, of course. “Hey Mother, what’s wrong with your feet? ” One day a sister said to us, “have you noticed her feet?” We nodded, curious. She said, “Her feet are deformed because we get just enough donated shoes for everyone, and Mother does not want anyone to get stuck with the worst pair, so she digs through and finds them. And years of doing that have deformed her feet.” Years of loving her neighbor as herself deformed her feet. -pg. 168

It’s an awe-inspiring story, certainly not something to scoff at. It speaks of sacrifice out of genuine love for others. Now, imagine for a moment that there was more to that story… You see, though Mother Teresa’s digging through the shoe bin for proper shoes is a noble act, she actually has many other pairs of shoes in her closet as well. The sandal’s that were being referred to in this story were her ‘charity shoes’ she wore them to appear more sacrificial and ‘like the people’ when she was doing charity work. However, when she attended fancy dinners she had a nice pair of high heels (she was a short lady you know). When she traveled around on speaking campaigns she had a good pair of running shoes and a pair of Birkenstocks. Oh, and meeting folks like the Queen or president’s required other shoes that matched her attire for the occasion. Does this diminish the awe you feel at Mother Teresa’s sacrifice? Before, you get to worried and shocked, I completely made up that addition!

Bear with me for a moment while I try to explain what that illustrated. But first, a picture of my shoes:

I didn’t pull these out of the bottom of a bin of donated shoes, I actually purchased them new and have worn them since. I really enjoy my shoes, they’ve served me well and I hope they will continue to. Before you think I’m trying to be all self-righteous let me explain: These are not my only shoes. I like wearing these shoes, but on many occasions I do not. I don’t wear these shoes to work. I didn’t wear them at the wedding I was in this summer. I leave them at home when we are meeting new people or attending a ‘formal’ event. And I don’t just adjust for other people, I have a different pair of shoes to run and bike in, another pair for playing soccer and still another for hiking. Not that self-righteous anymore.

You see, I want to wear Mother Teresa’s shoes. Not literally, but in the sense of the sacrifice that she made by choosing to live a life in such a way that she only had enough for what she needed. Mother Teresa had one pair of shoes, and they seriously messed up her feet. I imagine those are the shoes she met the Queen in, and I don’t think the president scoffed at her when she chose to wear them. Why is it that we recognize and our touched by the sacrifice of Mother Teresa that we here about in a book, but we’d scoff or think it odd if I showed up for a formal dinner with holes in my sneakers? It wouldn’t be very long I think before someone, a co-worker, family member or friend offered me a pair of shoes to replace the ones I have. Few people look at the guy with holes in his shoes and think of it is awe inspiring sacrifice as we do Mother Teresa.

The wife and I were reading some Deutoronomy today and I was curious what your take might be on the following passages. To they say anything about our society today, or how we should be living?

In no particular order.

1 If you see your brother’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to him. 2 If the brother does not live near you or if you do not know who he is, take it home with you and keep it until he comes looking for it. Then give it back to him. 3 Do the same if you find your brother’s donkey or his cloak or anything he loses. Do not ignore it.

15 If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand him over to his master. 16 Let him live among you wherever he likes and in whatever town he chooses. Do not oppress him.

6 If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. 7 You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.

(this is the same ‘promise’ that children receive for honoring their parents. Don’t know which is more difficult…)

19 Do not charge your brother interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest. 20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.

and this last one was pretty interesting…

1 If a man is found slain, lying in a field in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him, 2 your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighboring towns. 3 Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke 4 and lead her down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer’s neck. 5 The priests, the sons of Levi, shall step forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the LORD and to decide all cases of dispute and assault. 6 Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, 7 and they shall declare: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. 8 Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, O LORD, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent man.” And the bloodshed will be atoned for. 9 So you will purge from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

There is something profoundly spiritual about spending time with close friends.
That’s why I’m concluding this blog post to go spend time with them.

Go find your friends to and tell them their loved.

I don’t know that I have any profound Easter thoughts. The latest is that, with an 8 month old, I’m finding a lot of the sort of foundational, theological stories of my faith, to be well, hard to explain.

Someone gave us a book about Easter, and though like all her books, the kiddo has no idea really what I’m reading, I still find it a little hard to stomach. On the one hand, I think being able to communicate ideas and stories on a level that little children will understand is hugely important. High brow academics that speak in a way only other intellectuals can understand does not appeal to me at all. At the same time, I sometimes wonder if our attempt to communicate certain foundational truths to little kids, maybe causes them to be too watered down and lose the depth of their meaning.

Like, do you use Easter to tell kids about how there’s this dude named Jesus who was dead, but then he rose again, and walked around and wasn’t dead anymore? It’s a pretty crazy story, but then, so is Humpty Dumpty, amongst others. Could we just tell that story and leave it as it is, maybe for the kid to understand many more years down the road? It doesn’t seem like we think that’s a good option.

Instead, we communicate to kids from as early as they can comprehend, not just the story, but the theological meanings. We tell them they are sinners, we try and explain how Jesus dying and raising from the dead somehow has something to do with them being bad kids, but now they aren’t bad anymore, or something like that.

I think if we look to Jesus as an example, there was a whole lot of stories he told that he didn’t explain the meanings, though for most adults, a lot of the meaning was fairly obvious. I’m not saying we shouldn’t help kids to understand the details of the faith, I’m just having a hard time figuring out when.

I was talking to a friend the other day who teaches a little kids Sunday school class, and she was looking up Easter lessons to try and do. Disturbingly, she found bunches of lessons which involved kids actually participating in the crucifixion process. One lesson was to get bread and Cheeto’s and have the kids hammer the Cheeto’s into the bread thinking about how Jesus must have hurt when he was nailed to the cross. Are you kidding me?! I’m sure the lesson went on to discuss deep theological implications such as ‘substitutionary atonement’ and other foundational truths, but in kid friendly language.

Personally, I’m starting to think I’d rather just talk about the Easter Bunny.

(These are thoughts in progress, stuff I haven’t considered before but a friend pointed out yesterday.)

As you might know I think the idea of redemptive violence is a myth, that you can not bring redemption and good through violent acts (good guy kills bad guy, all live happily ever after). I began to come to this understanding as I was reading my bible, particularly Jesus’ words and life, and couldn’t reconcile that with the ideas of war and violence in general accomplishing peace.

What I hadn’t thought about until it was pointed out yesterday to me, is how much of our theology espouses the idea of Redemptive Violence through the role of God (The Father, rather than Jesus). The idea that God is violent and vengeful and had to kill somebody for their sins, but fortunately Jesus took our place. It’s a theology of redemption coming through a violent act, at least on the part of God killing Jesus.

Anyways, I’m not sure what to do with these thoughts since so much of my own understanding of theology, Jewish culture prior to Christ coming and then what I see Jesus saying and living; all of it begins to conflict and create tensions.

I guess I just share that to put it out there and point out what I’ve been thinking about recently on a theological level. I haven’t developed any complete thoughts on the idea. There is a book, The Nonviolent Atonement, that was recommended that I’ll probably read sometime in the coming months before I try and make any major revelations…

“You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.” -Hebrews 10:34

I talk a fair bit about giving things away, living simply, sacrificially giving and living in a way so that others needs are met. I’m no where near the place I would like to be in that endeavor but I hope that I am making strides. However, verses like this spur me on and point out how far I have to go in my effort to follow Christ.

I’ve had a number of things stolen from me in my life (mainly bikes) and I must say, that for me, there is a marked difference between my stuff being stolen and me freely giving it to someone. Much of that difference is in my attitude about the situation and what my focus is on. I’m fascinated by the attitude and focus of the Hebrews written about above, who joyfully accepted losing their stuff. I am amazed by what a testimony that is to where their treasure and joy lies, even now reading it 2000 years later, I can’t imagine the testimony that must have been to those taking their property and others watching their decisions to choose love, community and fellowship over worldly possessions.

When I really start to reflect on this stuff, the persecution that they endured, the persecution people endure today (The Heavenly Man), and the lack of persecution I feel I’m encountered with in my surroundings, I’ve recognized something about it. I think I’ve tended to think in very pure terms about the persecution of the early church. I have a tendency to think that the persecution they received was very clearly because they where following Jesus:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

However, I don’t think it was always as pure a case as we tend to think of it as. Jesus wasn’t crucified because he was the messiah and the Roman’s knew they had to fulfill the Scripture, he was killed for creating political unrest. The disciples likewise probably did not simply experience persecution because they choose to claim themselves as Christians, but also because of the actions and life choices that their following Christ lead them to.

I say all this to simply just acknowledge that I have a long way to go to be in a place where I can follow Christ to the degree that I’m willing for it to result in people taking my stuff and me being joyful about it. And I’m not at the point yet where I clearly understand that choices I make to follow Christ might result in persecution that might not have anything to do explicitly with what religious allegiances I have.

(for some reason I don’t think a lot of this made much sense. Oh well.)

At a community group I was at a few weeks ago we happened to be discussing the topic of ‘community’ (go figure). It was a really interesting conversation, and I’m looking forward to building relationships with the many people from our neighborhood that attend. At one point in the conversation an interesting topic came up.

Basically, someone had shared a story about opening their home to a stranger and that person had then taken advantage of the opportunity and stolen some things. The attitude of the community group was really encouraging to me for a number of reasons. First, though it seems pretty clear in scripture we are to share with those in need, it’s seems so rare that I hear about a person from church opening their home, so the story itself was encouraging to me. Secondly, the response from others seemed to encourage the decision and acknowledge that sometimes those things will happen, rather then say things that might discourage people from taking similar actions of opening their home.

All this made me think about the example of Jesus, who became close friends with a person he knew would betray him. There has to be some insight we can gain from that example. I don’t even think the person betraying Jesus being one of his disciples was prophesied previously (not that it really matters, but some people use that as an explanation of why it wasn’t a ‘choice’ and thus not something we should then follow as an example for ourselves).
The relationship of Jesus and Judas adds a whole new dimension to Jesus’ commands to “Love our Enemies.” It challenges in many ways the notion of ‘safety‘ that often taints our ability to follow Christ’s teachings to the full.

If your interested in investigating Jesus and Judas’ relationship with this particular idea in mind, here are all the verses in Matthew referencing Judas. Let me know what you discover.

No, this is not a satirical post about a Box for sale that you can put Jesus in (though that might be funny to write sometime), this is about a new feature on the site I’m going to be adding to posts called the ‘Jesus Box’ (and yes it is supposed to be a little funny). I plan on posting the ‘Jesus Box’ at the end of articles I write about that are about social issues amongst other things.

The intent of the ‘Jesus Box’ will be to provide a short paragraph trying to articulate Biblical support for the issue I happen to bring up. The audience for this is not just ‘Christians.’ What I’d like to do is provide primarily Bible verses and references so that those who follow Christ will see where and what it is in the faith that is motivating me toward certain issues.

I also hope that those who read my posts about social issues but don’t personally follow Christ’s teachings will read and use the information given in the ‘Jesus Box’ to challenge and hold Christians to the authority they claim to follow.

This is what a typical Jesus Box will look like:

Jesus Box (Biblical Reasons for why I’m doing what I do)
Let’s say we are talking about the environment, I might reference this verse:
Psalm 19:1-4: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

Look for Jesus Boxes in future posts.