The Truth Will Set You Free

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Bible, Christian, Christianity, Faith, Religion and Spirituality

Jesus said, “The truth shall set you free.” A modern paraphrase of that is; “The truth shall set you free, but first it will piss you off.” I believe both statements are true. 

Sometimes the truth makes us mad because the truth confronts us or calls us out. The truth challenges us to make changes in the way we think or the way we act. Conviction does not usually make us happy! Even though, hopefully we hear the truth, and we do make changes that make our lives better and makes us more authentic followers of Jesus. 

Which makes me wonder why those of us who read the Bible aren’t offended more often. I want to challenge what has become the model of a person of mature faith. The model is of a person who is stalwart. They never change. They have believed the same thing for 20, 30, or 50 years and their convictions have never wavered. This stance of staunch firmness is often viewed as maturity against the shifting waves of culture where people and their morals just go with the flow. 

But if the Bible teaches us the truth and the truth sets us free (after making us mad) then a mature follower of Jesus should be a person who changes and grows as they are confronted by truth. 

If we read the Bible every day, week after week, year after year and it only reinforces what we already believe or already do, then, we are either living a perfect life or we are not listening. I don’t think it is the former. I would go as far as to say that if we still understand God the same way and believe the exact things we believed 15 years ago, then we haven’t matured any. 

I believe the model for a mature believer is one who holds their beliefs humbly. One who is willing to listen to the truth and be moved by it. One who is even willing to be changed by it. Authentic faith is pliable and open to change of mind and actions. 

The truth will set us free. Often it will piss us off. But ultimately it will change us. I believe that is the point. 

Transformed People Transform People

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Bible, Christian, Faith

John the Baptist, or John the Baptizer, was a unique individual. He had an alternate diet. He didn’t eat what everyone else ate. He wore alternate clothing. He didn’t dress like everyone else dressed. He went on the outside of the current religious structures to tell his message concerning  the Kingdom of God. I find that really interesting since his father Zechariah was a priest. 

John could have followed in his father’s footsteps and been a part of the religious establishment but for some reason he did not. I can only imagine the confusion this must have caused his father. John also changed the venue for transformation from the Temple to the river. 

John was a free spirit. He ate differently, dressed differently and preached differently. In writing about him Richard Rohr wrote, “transformed people transform people.” (Richard Rohr, Yes, And… p.54.)

That is so true. John had been transformed and so he was able to help others experience transformation. He was authentic and comfortable with who God created him to be. 

When we speak about the Kingdom of God or about helping other people become who God created them to be, it begins with our own transformation. We must first experience God’s transforming grace in our own life before we can go telling other people about it. You can’t tell what you don’t know. You can’t give away what you don’t have. 

So, as we pray for and work towards transforming the world around us it begins with us. It is only when we are becoming who God created us to be that we are able to help others become who God created them to be. It really is true. Transformed people transform people. 

Cinco De Mayo

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Bible, Cinco de Mayo, Faith, theology

Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May is a holiday that celebrates the victory of the Mexican army over the French army at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. In Mexican tradition it is a minor holiday. For some reason, it has been chosen here in the USA to be a major celebration. At the core it is the commercialization of a part of the Mexican culture to entice people to buy and eat tacos. By the way, any day is a good day to eat tacos. 

But, by commercializing this part of Mexican heritage it can cause us to overlook more important parts of Mexican heritage and things we can learn from it. It becomes tacos instead of culture. 

We are also guilty of doing this with spiritual matters. For example, a lot of people take the Ten Commandments and make more of them than was intended. Our entire lives become about following the Ten Commandments. We start to worry about our righteousness. We start to judge ourselves based on how well we keep the commandments. Worse, we start to judge others on how well they keep the commandments. Many people believe their relationship with God depends on how well they keep the commandments and many believe heaven and hell are about how well you keep the commandments. 

The Ten Commandments are important, but they are not the gauge for measuring our relationship with God. Jesus taught us that our relationship with God was about loving God and loving others. That is the core.

A person can keep the Ten Commandments and still be prejudiced. A person can keep the Ten Commandments and still be mean-spirited. A person can keep the Ten Commandments and harbor ill will. 

It is not, nor ever has been about keeping rules. It is about loving God and loving others. Ironically, when we love God and love others we end up keeping the Ten Commandments as a by-product. They are a means, not an end. 

So, today I will eat tacos, but I will be grateful and thankful for a culture and heritage that has so much of which to be proud. That is so much more than our commercialized holiday. And today I will try to love God and love others and not worry about the rules. 

Don’t Be A Jerk!

Here are some thoughts from last Sunday’s Lectionary text, Acts 5:27-32,  about obeying God rather than human beings. When Peter was told by some religious leaders to stop talking about Jesus and doing good in Jesus’ name, Peter responded,

“We must obey God rather than human beings.”

 I want to suggest to you this morning that is easier said than done. The meaning of this verse is often trivialized to some bumper sticker slogan you shout or taking some stand in the culture war between Christians and secular humanists! It is often hard to discern what it means to obey God rather than human beings. Let me give you an example.

A high school valedictorian inserts a prayer into her speech at graduation, despite being warned by the school principal not to do so.[1]Many Christians will applaud her and say she was obeying God rather than human beings. However, other Christians would say that in a nation that is founded on religious freedom for everyone, to subject a captive audience of people with varying faiths and no faith at all at a public event to your prayer is not an act of courage, but of bad manners.

So, how do we know how to obey God rather than human beings? Let me suggest some guidelines to help us determine the difference between obeying God and just having bad manners.

First, when we obey God rather than human beings, we are “for” something and we act in love. I see a lot of Christians who think they are obeying God rather than human beings because they are against something and they often act in ways that are unloving. The apostles were not against anything. They were for people finding wholeness and new life in Jesus. They went about doing acts of love and kindness. They were persecuted for that.

They were not marching around telling people how sinful they were. They were not against anybody. They did not act in unkind or hateful ways. They were obeying God instead of human beings, so they were acting in love. That is one way to tell. Are we taking a stand “for” something and are we willing to work toward that goal in love? Even treating those who disagree with us with love.

A second way we can tell the difference between obeying God and bad manners is this. May I say this bluntly.

“Don’t be a jerk!”

I will never forget, I was a teenager and a young Christian, and I went out on visitation with someone one night. Visitation is when you get a card from church with someone’s name on it and you go to their house and “bring them to Jesus”, whether they want to come or not. The person I was with took the lead and was pressuring this person to become a Christian and he repeatedly said, “No.” Then this guy got angry and said, “Okay then, just go to hell, if that is what you want to do.” And he got up and left. At the time I did not know much about witnessing. I did not know much about how to talk to someone about Jesus, but I knew one thing. That guy was a jerk! He thought he was bold. But he wasn’t bold. He was just a jerk. I would rather hang out with my unchristian friends any day. Sometimes we are so convinced we are obeying God that we forget God loves us and the people we are talking to. I am sure there are times when I have been a jerk too. But, if you are being a jerk you are not obeying God. As a matter of fact, you are doing more damage than good  to the kingdom of God.

The rest of the story from our Scripture this morning is that after Peter said, “We must obey God rather than human beings!’ many on the council were enraged and wanted them all put to death. But a respected Pharisee named Gamaliel spoke up. (See, not even all of the leaders were against Jesus.) He said, Let these men go. Let this thing run its course. If it is not of God it will fail. If it is of God we do not want to be found fighting against God. So, they agreed not to kill them. They had them flogged and sent them away ordering them not to speak in the name of Jesus again.

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.      Acts 5:41

After being threatened and flogged, they left rejoicing. And this is the third thing I want to mention. When we obey God rather than human beings, there will be joy in what we do. The apostles suffered for what they did. They were arrested and beaten.

Suffering is often a part of obeying God. A real key is that if we are obeying God then we will most likely be the ones who suffer for it. Our obeying God will not inflict suffering on others. When we obey God and take a stand it may lead to suffering. But we are the ones who will do the suffering, not others. So, if our taking a stand leads to the suffering of others, instead of ourselves, chances are good we are not obeying God, we are just following our own prejudices, or anger or fear.

In the midst of their suffering, they rejoiced. It has been my experience that people who obey God rather than human beings often suffer, but they still find joy in what they are doing.

The world needs to see Christians who are “for” something, instead of “against “everything.” The world needs to see Christians who act in love and who are not jerks. The world needs to see Christians who are willing to suffer, but unwilling to cause suffering for anyone else. The world needs to see Christians who are not angry and afraid, but who are joyous because we are following the risen, Lord of Life. In other words, the world needs to see Christians who obey God rather than human beings.

BENEDICTION:

In the name of the Father,

And the Son, and the Holy Spirit

Don’t be a jerk!

Amen.

[1]J. Michael Krech, Feasting On The Word, “Homiletical Perspective,” p.381.

Is my Interpretation of the Bible Correct?

People love to argue about the Bible. It is often misused and misunderstood. A person with a little intelligence and knowledge of the Scripture can indeed find prooftexts for whatever they are selling. The real question is, “How do I know my interpretation is correct?” Hopefully, we don’t seek the truth just to brag about being right. We ask that question because we seriously want to be faithful followers of Jesus and we understand the Bible guides us in that endeavor.

The guiding hermeneutic for me is, “Does this understanding of the Scripture make me think, act and live more like Jesus?” Let’s apply this.

Take Romans 13:1-5 for example. It tells us to obey the government. No qualifiers. If the government says do it, then you obey it. Christians followed this verse in obeying Hitler when they were told to send children to gas chambers. Christians sited this verse while mistreating Native Americans. These verses have been used to defend slavery and keep Jim Crow on the books. Most recently, these verses have been evoked to justify putting children in cages. There are Christians who do these things and quote this verse and say they are following the Bible. But are they right?

Let’s apply the Jesus test. Can I picture Jesus obeying this Scripture and taking families away to gas chambers to be killed? Can I picture Jesus obeying this interpretation of this Scripture to steal from and mistreat Native Americans? Can I picture Jesus supporting slavery? (He actually said he came to set captives free. Luke 4) Can I picture Jesus taking children away from parents seeking asylum and putting them in cages? The answer is a big NO for me on each one. So, this interpretation is not valid because following it does not make me think, act or live more like Jesus.

There are, of course, many other reasons to dismiss this kind of interpretation based on its context. Not to mention there are unjust laws. Christians should not follow unjust laws. Jesus was executed as an enemy of the state. Don’t forget that. Correctly understood the Bible is a warning against religion and government getting too cozy. The Bible would certainly never promote adherence to a government law over faithfulness to follow Jesus. This was the first century battle. Who is Lord? Caesar or Jesus?

People who claim they are not interpreting the Bible but merely doing what it says are kidding themselves. Everyone ignores verses they don’t like. If they say they don’t, they are either ignorant of the whole of Scripture or they are lying.

Deuteronomy 21: 18-21 says that if a son is rebellious and does not listen to discipline then you are to stone him. I do not think Jesus would stone a young man for being rebellious. I believe in being respectful, but I will overlook following this verse because it does not make me think, act or live more like Jesus. The Bible says that a Moabite is not welcome in the assembly of God’s people (Deuteronomy 23:3). I believe Jesus wants worship open to all. He taught and demonstrated that over and over. In the church I serve we will open the doors to everyone, even Moabites! I will look over this verse of exclusion because it does not help me think, act or live like Jesus. Everyone has a guiding principle for which verses of Scripture they take more seriously than others. I think the guiding principle for many is their own tribal narrative. There is a word for when our own tribal narrative replaces Jesus as the guiding principle for understanding Scripture. The word is Idolatry.

The Bible points us to God, like a woman standing in the back yard pointing to the sky. When you see her, you can look up to the wonder she is pointing to, or you can get fixated on her hand and finger. Some people never look up and see the God of wonder to which the Bible points. They are fixated on the Bible itself.

I believe if we interpret the Scriptures correctly they will lead us to be loving, welcoming, forgiving, inclusive, putting others first, kind and gracious among other things. In other words, it will make us think, act and live more like Jesus. The key to correctly interpreting the Scripture is Jesus. It’s Jesus. If your interpretation is making you more like him, then you get it. If the way you interpret the Bible makes you think, act or live less like Jesus you are doing something wrong.

 

 

Christianity and the loss of Truth

As you are aware, we have a terrible problem in our country right now. We are so divided. We are so angry. It is stressing us all out! I think at the root of the problem is what sociologists call tribalism. Tribalism is when we over identify with a group of people, our tribe. We identify with them to the point that it becomes unhealthy. Let me give you an example from sports. Our favorite team is our tribe. Have you ever noticed that when an official throws a flag on the home team the stands erupt with boos and calling the ref all kinds of names? Most of the time the official is right. He made the right call. But he made it against our team, so we insult the ref. We aren’t interested in having a fair game, truthful officiating. We just want our team to win. Who cares about the truth or about right or wrong?

It’s one thing when sports fans fall into the trap of tribalism. But there are other, far more serious arenas. We can divide ourselves into different tribes over politics, race, religion, anything really. Take politics for example. Both sides have a narrative of what our tribe is like and a narrative about what the other tribe is like. Of course, our tribe is the good tribe doing what is true and just and good. The other tribe is just bent on evil and destruction.  Instead of seeking the truth, we look for anything that supports our narrative, whether it is true or not. So, we stop looking for truth. Truth doesn’t matter anymore. The only thing that matters is what fits into our narrative of our tribe or their tribe. If it fits the narrative, we don’t even ask if it’s true. We just tell it as if it were true. Is this sounding familiar?

The problem is when the other tribe speaks the truth or has a good idea, we can’t hear it, because we have convinced ourselves that they can’t say anything true or good. The even more dangerous side of this is that we are convinced that no matter what our tribe does, it is true and right. We no longer ask, “Is this true? Should our tribe do this?” We just assume that since our tribe is doing something it is true and right. Have you ever wondered how so many decent people in Germany gave Hitler the power to do the evil things he did? Tribalism. He was a part of their political and religious tribe and instead of questioning whether what he was doing was right, they just assumed it must be right because it was their tribe doing it. So, it must be right. Sociologists call it tribalism. Theologians call it idolatry.

I believe that as Christians we should be truthful on Facebook and Twitter and all other social media. I regularly see posts from well-meaning people on their Facebook page that are simply untrue. Especially when it comes to politics. The posts follow the tribal narrative, but they are not true.

It’s tribalism again. Both sides have a narrative of what the other side is like. And anything that fits that narrative, true or not, gets passed around as truth. It just further divides us. I’m afraid more people get their information from Facebook than they do actual news sources. So, can those of us who claim to be a part of God’s family at least make sure things are true before we pass them on?

Tribalism is taking over I am afraid. Truth no longer seems to matter, not even for people who claim to follow the One who said, “I am the truth.” What if we quit letting our tribe tell us what’s true and looked to God to find the truth? I think it would make a huge difference in our culture. I think our culture desperately needs us to do that. To seek the truth. To actually be salt and light instead of just going along with whatever our tribe does. The time has come to be salt and light to our own tribes. Christian brothers and sisters will you please put the pursuit of truth above your tribal narratives? Please put the truth above your political party, your culture, your religious beliefs. What if we all desired truth more than our tribal narratives? I think it would make a difference.

People outside the church have stopped looking to the church for guidance. It isn’t because of liberalism or the debate over sexuality. It is because they no longer believe us. We have parroted our religious and political tribalism for so long they no longer believe we will tell them the truth. God help us if we can’t find our way back to the truth.

Torches or Candles

I have been thinking about these images from Charlottesville. The first one is an image of angry young men carrying torches and chanting threatening choruses. Torches are often associated with mobs and with violence. “Torches and pitchforks” are the accessories of choice for the angry mob. In fiction torches are prevalent. They are found among those searching for the monster created by Dr. Frankenstein. The mob held torches as they pursued the Beast in the classic fairy tale. In reality the KKK carried torches as they went about frightening and lynching. People carrying torches often seem to be angry. They often seem to be afraid. They often seem to think getting rid of someone else will solve all of their problems.

In the Gospel of John we are told that when Jesus was praying in the garden a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees, led by Judas, came looking for him. John specifically says,

“They were carrying torches . . . “ (John 18:3b) The torches are an ironic addition to the story. It was Passover. Passover is a lunar holiday. It is always on a full moon. On a moonlit night they did not need torches and lanterns to see. I think John is pointing to their spiritual blindness. They needed torches and lanterns to see the “Light of the World.” That is how dark, the darkness of their hatred had become.

It seems to me that people who carry torches seem to struggle with a personal darkness of hatred. It is a deep darkness. It prevents them from seeing that every person is created in the image of God regardless of the color of their skin or nationality, or religion, or gender or anything else. The sad thing is that it is a learned darkness. They have turned the lights off on themselves.

In the second image people are peacefully gathered, holding candles. They are singing. There is music instead of angry chants. Candles are quite different from torches. Candles aren’t threatening. They are a more subtle light than a torch. They aren’t used by mobs. They are most often used in vigils. Torches are symbols of violence. Candles are symbols of suffering. Torches are symbols of division. Candles are symbols of unity.

During Advent we light candles. Every Sunday at the beginning of the worship service candles are lit to remind us of the presence of the Holy Spirit with us. Candles set the mood for quiet reflection. There is a real difference between those who choose torches and those who choose candles to make it through the darkness.

We have been stumbling around in the darkness of racism and white supremacy for a long time now. We will need light to find our way through this. I will choose to use a candle, not a torch. Join me?

Thy Kingdom Come Part 2

When speaking of the Kingdom of God, Jesus said that it is forcefully advancing. He said it has already come. It is here, now. It has been given to us. If we look back we are not fit for service in the Kingdom of God. It is a matter of action, not a matter of talk.

Whenever we do good for another person we are contributing to the Kingdom of God whether we realize it or not. In the Old Testament we are told of Cyrus, King of Persia. He was not a follower or even a believer in the God of Israel. Yet, God refers to him as “My Shepherd” for his role in releasing the people of Israel from captivity. He is the one who released them from Babylon and sent them to their homeland. He was participating in God’s plan even though that was not his intention.

In the New Testament, Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan. He was just a man who saw a fellow human being in need and did something about it. I don’t know if he was aware that God was using him to make a difference in someone else’s life. He just did what he thought was right.

When I was a kid my mother used to make me go with her to do things for some elderly neighbors that lived across the woods from us. Neither of them were able to bring in coal from the coal pile to keep the heater going all night when it was cold. So when it turned cold we would go over and I would bring in enough coal to keep them warm until we returned. I used to think it was just a good deed, being neighborly. Now I realize it was more than that. It was actually participating in the Kingdom of God right there at the coal pile.

Somehow through the years we lost our focus. The church itself became our primary focus instead of the Kingdom of God. Everything became about the church. How many people can we get to come to church? How many people can we get to come to programs at the church? It all became about the church. People became bored with that and stopped coming. So we started trying to figure out ways to win them back, to get them to come back to the church. We spawned an entire church growth industry learning how to market and brand and entertain people back to church. We forgot it is not about the church. It is about the Kingdom of God.

Making a positive difference in the lives of other people isn’t easy. Don’t give up when you face opposition. You remember the story of Joseph in the Old Testament? His brothers in a fit of jealousy and selfishness sold him into slavery. They had no desire to do the right thing or to help anyone other than themselves. Joseph suffered through slavery and then prison. But, God used Joseph where Joseph was. As it turned out Joseph rose to a position of great power in Egypt. God through Joseph maneuvered an entire continent though a great drought. Millions of lives were saved. When Joseph’s brothers were finally confronted with who Joseph was they were afraid he would get even with them for what they had done. Joseph’s response was,

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”

Genesis 50:20

Of course, the supreme example is Jesus himself. He was teaching about the Kingdom of God. He was living out the Kingdom of God. He healed, he taught, he loved, he brought life. But, there were those who opposed what he was doing. They set out to stop him. He ended up nailed to a cross, dying on hard wood. It looked as if the Kingdom he was such a part of had come to an end.

But, you know the rest of the story. It was through the cross that the Kingdom of God really burst through. It was through the cross that the doors opened for God’s grace to redeem all of life. They worked against the Kingdom and God took their efforts and made the Kingdom stronger because of their opposition.

Make no mistake; there are forces that oppose the Kingdom of God. There always have been. There are those who will work against it out of self-interest. But, don’t worry about that. God will have the last word. God will even take opposition to His Kingdom and turn it around for good. That is how God works.

The Kingdom of God is here. We can choose to be a part of what God is doing. We can learn to work with people who are enhancing the lives of other people even if they don’t realize God is at work through them. We can stay confident when it gets hard to do Gods’ work. We can stay faithful when people oppose us, because God can use even opposition for his glory and his kingdom.

This is a big part of what it means when we pray “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

The Kingdom of God: Part 1

Jesus spent a lot of time talking about the Kingdom of God. Here are some of the things he said; not everyone will choose to enter the Kingdom of God. Those who do must enter like a child. Entrance requires repentance. The Kingdom of God belongs to the poor and the persecuted. It is hard for the rich to get in. In the Kingdom of God being great and being the least are reversed from the way we think of them in our culture. He also said to seek it above everything else.

When he taught his disciples to pray he taught them to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Through the years we have spiritualized the whole idea of the Kingdom of God. Many, if not most people, when they talk about the Kingdom of God are talking about a future reality. It is something that will happen in another time, in another place. Yet, when Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God, he says it is here. It is now.

Ever since Eden God has been working to redeem us and to restore abundant life to us. The Kingdom of God encompasses spiritual need. But it also encompasses physical and emotional needs as well. This is what God has been about since creation and he invites us to join him. Every time we do something that improves the quality of life for another human being we are advancing the Kingdom of God. We are helping God’s will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

God was and is already at work in the world into which we were born. We can decide whether or not we will join him in what he is doing. In the last several decades the church has expended so much time and energy trying to get people to come to our programs and support what we are doing that I think at times we have forgotten to look at what God is doing beyond our walls. God has never stopped working in communities and lives outside of the church. He is there. Really being involved in the Kingdom of God means finding Him there at your school, at your work and getting involved in what he is already doing.

It seems like ever since the Reformation the church has been focused on getting the message right. And I want to say that I believe that is important. It is important to get the message right. It is important to understand God properly. Poor theology leads to cultural Christianity and things like the prosperity gospel.

But, there seems to be a shift happening these days. More and more people seem concerned about getting the mission right as well. People are starting to understand that salvation is more than praying a prayer for forgiveness and discipleship is more than just exchanging information. Living the truth is about what we actually do in the world around us. It is about what kind of friend we are. It is about how we serve those around us.

There is a really interesting sub-plot in our culture these days when we understand the Kingdom of God in these terms. This current generation of young adults, the group we call Millennials, have a core value of service. More than any living generation, this one finds great meaning in service. They want to help others. It has given rise to a new business model, businesses like Toms shoes. You buy a pair for yourself and a child in a third world country gets a pair of shoes. We take shoes for granted, but in some countries children don’t have any. The result is disease and some are even kept from an education because they cannot walk the rugged terrain barefooted to get to a school. Warby Parker glasses. Buy a pair and a child in a poor country gets a free eye exam and a pair of glasses if needed. Also the employers of LensCrafters travel to third world countries to recycle eyewear.

I have read several stories of young couples or groups of young couples moving into poverty stricken neighborhoods. They build relationships with the people there. They tell them about Jesus. They love them. They plant community gardens in abandoned lots. They repair and repaint buildings and walls and bring some beauty back. Some even help residents start their own businesses there in the neighborhood. You don’t hear a lot about it on the news, but there are inner city communities all over the country from Philadelphia to Portland, being redeemed by people who want to be a part of what God is doing.

Through the years the church has argued over what is our business; to tell people about Jesus or to meet the physical and emotional needs of people. The answer is; Exactly. It’s both. The Kingdom of God encompasses all of those things.

If you want to be a part of the Kingdom of God you don’t have to wait. You don’t even have to go anywhere. Look around. Pray. It doesn’t have to be a project that changes the world. It could be a deed that enhances one life. Where is God at work in your neighborhood? How can you join him? Most importantly, will you join him? Will you help be the answer to the prayer, “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

 

Spiritual Cartographers

I read this great parable the other day in Anthony De Mello’s book, “The Song of the Bird.”

The explorer returned to his people, who were eager to know about the Amazon. But how could he ever put into words the feelings that flooded his heart when he saw exotic flowers and heard the night-sounds of the forest; when he sensed the danger of wild beasts or paddled his canoe over treacherous rapids?

 He said, “Go and find out for yourselves.”

 To guide them he drew a map of the river. They pounced upon the map. They framed it in their town hall. They made copies of it for themselves. And all who had a copy considered themselves experts on the river, for did they not know its every turn and bend, how broad it was and how deep, where the rapids were and where the falls?”

When I finished reading it there was a lump in my throat. Like all good parables it speaks volumes of truth. It may be the best description of the problem in American Christianity today. In the 50s and 60s we hung the Ten Commandments (maps) in courtrooms and then denied men and women the right to vote. In church we study the Bible (map) and read it in worship, then over look our call to love, to justice, to grace and compassion.

Have we experienced the river, or just memorized the maps? Are we disciples, or just spiritual cartographers?