A Message from Pastor Jeff

We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. 1 Corinthians 1:23

I was out the other day with my son Xavier at the local barber shop to get a haircut. I do not really need the talents of a barber anymore, anyone with shears can pretty much take care of me, but Xavier’s hair requires more work and he has decided mom can’t cut it anymore. (I think Cindy is as relieved at this development as Xavier.)

As I was waiting for my turn I was picked up the fortieth anniversary edition of “Rolling Stone”. This isn’t my usual reading fare, but it was a special issue in which several celebrities were asked their opinion of where our nation is and what the future holds. I’ve never understood why people think that just because a person can recite a line well in a movie or sing a catchy tune that they are qualified to give well thought out insight into life, the universe and everything, but apparently as a society we equate talent with intelligence.

As I read thought the magazine one common denominator kept coming up again and again and that was this: religion (i.e.: Biblical Christianity) is the cause of all the world’s problems. Bill Mahr, who used be on “Politically Incorrect” said “Soon people are going to wake up and realize that religion is the problem. Tom Hanks, an actor who has done several movies I have liked, proclaimed that the two issues which were going to destroy our nation were abortion and gay marriage. The people who were digging in their heels to fight these two issues from becoming part of our societal values (i.e.: Christians who believe the Bible) were going to be our downfall. I was disappointed to read that because, like I said, I like Tom Hanks, or at least the persona he puts forth in public.

As I read the stream of vitriol spewing forth from these and other anointed “wise men” of our culture it became clear from their statements that they had spent more time listening to “Imagine” by John Lennon instead of actually reading a history book or (gasp) the Bible. Statements like “All the wars in history were caused by religion” and “Religion prevents the freedom of human potential” are accepted by many as conventional wisdom. Never mind that Hitler did not quote scripture as the Blitz rolled through Europe, or that the aggression of Communism was perpetrated by an atheistic system which brutally oppressed, “reeducated” and murdered millions of people. No, the real problem is people who read and actually believe the Bible. I read Ian McKellen, who played “Gandalf” in the “Lord of the Rings” movies say, “Do you know why the Shire (where Hobbits live) was so peaceful? There were no churches!” Apparently this little nugget of wisdom overlooked the fact that the author of the Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien, was a devout believer and that the books he wrote had many spiritual and specifically Christian themes woven throughout them! Who needs facts when you have charisma?

The truth is our society is becoming more and more Biblically illiterate and as a result we are realizing less and less the values our society was built upon. As we become more illiterate, voices which we have given ear too, such as these celebrities, can spout off undocumented statements of pseudo-facts and people believe it is truth. Unfortunately there is also a culture of televangelist celebrity which gets a lot of airplay which is not doing Biblical Christianity any favors either.

However not all is dark and gloomy. Even though a Newsweek poll recently showed that less than 50% of people interviewed trust “the church” and the clergy (we rate just above used car salesmen in respect for profession), 80% are willing, even wanting, to have a conversation of spiritual matters with a friend. That friend has more credibility than any pastor or priest when it comes to sharing the faith. In addition that friend has more credibility than any celebrity and his or her opinion shared live from Hollywood.

Paul wrote of his, and our, role as “ambassadors of reconciliation”. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Notice that we are not Crusaders, not Bible Thumpers, not Judgment Passers, we are Reconcilers. Jesus said “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.” May we embrace these roles and realize our potential for changing the world as friends and neighbors to those around us.

Jeff