Anti-American

I receive all sorts of labels from people for my beliefs. It doesn't surprise me. I know I'm not alone in this when I hear Derek Webb sing, "Oh my darlin', you must be a moving target just like me. They call you right, they call you left. They call you names of all your friends." One label that I receive from time to time is "anti-American." Again, it's not a surprising name to be called when I make the proclamations that I do. Even though nobody has ever outright explained their reasoning for labeling me as anti-America I have a good idea which of my beliefs and practices they probably have in mind.

I preach that Christians are aliens and foreigners on earth no matter where they live. I say that Christians have one true allegiance and it is to Christ and his kingdom and as a result Christians don't owe an allegiance to any nation. I find running for many political offices as problematic for Christians. I am weary of celebrating holidays that put one people group above another or glorify a nation I'm not rightly bound to. I don't say the pledge of allegiance or follow the flag code during the national anthem. I don't support militarism or violent endeavors that are carried out by the military. I say President's commit nationalistic idolatry when they use scriptures that point to Jesus but change the wording to glorify America. I question the placement of the U.S. flag in churches. I question the benefits for the church when it comes to freedom of religion. The list goes on.

At first glance, the patriotic American may see that as anti-American. I can understand that. But I hope those folks can give me the benefit of the doubt and hear me out. I'm not anti-America. I'm just not wrapped up in America. When I say that I mean to communicate that I don't hold the U.S. above any other nation in my heart. I don't allow myself to consider the U.S. as my home since I belong to the kingdom of God. I'm not against America (you won't see me waging war against her), I'm just too concerned with the kingdom of heaven to give my allegiance to something as fleeting as the United States of America. I acknowledge that nations are nothing before God according to scripture and don't make them out to be more than they truly are.

I'm thankful for a lot of the things that make up the identity of the United States. I am thankful for democracy. I am thankful for a voiced commitment to uphold life and liberty. There is great emphasis on education and the welfare of the people. That is worth my thankfulness! The resources to improve life for the downtrodden in the U.S. are vast! I find the land beautiful. I find a lot of blessings in the U.S. and I don't take them for granted. At the same time, if I didn't have them I know that life would go on (and even if it didn't that'd be okay). Life is easier here in many ways than in other places and I accept that is both a good and bad thing. Every nation has positives and negatives.

At the end of the day I acknowledge the fleeting nature of the U.S. and what it is before God. I recognize where my true citizenship is found and hold the values of the kingdom of God above those of the nation I live in. If the two kingdoms are in line then I happen to be patriotic and if they are butting heads then I'm probably looking unpatriotic. I'm happy to be in a place that offers the blessings the U.S. offers but I'm not willing to go against kingdom customs to keep them since I know my time in association with the nation is hardly a blip on the radar of eternity. I'm not head over heels with the United States but I'm certainly not against her. I know her and I appreciate her but I won't go to bed with her. If that is anti-American then I suppose the labelers are correct about me but I'm more inclined to only care about one label and that is "Christian." Whatever comes as a result I'll accept with joy.

Poetry on Peace

Man, the brain, the boaster, the blind seeker,

Thrusting, merciless - and how much afraid!

Crouching behind his engines, still the weaker

For every tool of death his hands have made.

Man, the heart, the humble, the endurer,

Trusting, merciful, unafraid and gay,

Upright and free and friendly, still securer

For every warlike weapon thrown away.

- W.R. Hughes

I believe there'll come a day

when the lion and the lamb

will lie down in peace together

in Jerusalem.

And there'll be no barricades then.

There'll be no wires or walls.

And we can wash all this blood from our hands,

and all this hatred from our souls.

And I believe that on that day

all the children of Abraham

will lay down their swords forever

in Jerusalem.

- Joan Baez

Do Tattoos Defile God's Temple?

Two of the first things people tend to know about me are that I am a Christian and I have tattoos. Both are incredibly difficult to hide. Several good people have approached me in the last 8 years of my life (the amount of time in which I've been a Christian and collecting tattoos) and discussed with me the moral issues revolving around tattoos. I've heard every argument against tattoos. I've wrestled the issue out with great intensity for many years. I've concluded that tattoos are permissible for Christians but they aren't always wise. Knowing that, I am intentional about not displaying my tattoos in the midst of certain people and I am careful about how I discuss the issue of tattoos (especially with those young in their faith). The most popular argument I've heard against Christians collecting tattoos is one of the most poorly supported theologically and scripturally. The argument: The human body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and tattoos defile that temple.

At first hearing it seems like a logical and scriptural argument. But it isn't. The main problem with this argument is the misunderstanding of the nature of God's temple in the New Covenant and how it is defiled. Jesus refers to the temple he will raise up in Mark 14:58 and says that it will be a temple not built by human hands. So far we are all still on the same page. In John 2:19 Jesus refers to himself as the temple that will be destroyed and he will raise again. Now we have some progression. Paul writes in 1Corinthians 3:16-17, "Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple." Now we have been told that Jesus is the temple and so are those who have been raised with him. Paul argues that the people of God are the temple of God and they are the temple because the Holy Spirit dwells among them. In this passage Paul doesn't teach that the physical body of the individual human is the temple of God but rather the baptized people of God are the temple and the temple is marked by the presence of the Holy Spirit in that community. The apostle then informs the Corinthians that anyone who destroys the temple (people) of God will be destroyed (most commentators believe Paul is speaking eschatologically here). Then Paul once again confirms that it is the united people of God that are his temple proving that a mere physical body is not the temple of God.

Paul revisits the temple language in the same letter in chapter 6 verses 12-20 to discuss sexual immorality. Verses 19-20 state, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." That's pretty cut and dry. He's definitely talking about the physical body this time. However, Paul does not classify defaming or destroying of the temple as any activity that brings intentional physical harm or alteration to the body. In fact, Paul doesn't even focus on the exterior of the body but rather the interior for he states, "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body" (v. 18). There is a specific type of activity that defames the body in terms of it being God's temple and it is sexual immorality because sexual immorality is not merely a physical activity. Paul speaks to the nature of sexual immorality and how it affects the person and not just the physical body when he writes, "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit" (vv. 15-17). Again, Paul speaks of the spirit. Sexual immorality is a uniting of what is Christ's with that which is contrary to him. It is activity that creates division between God and the person by creating a union that is unholy. The temple is not merely a physical body but a unity between persons. The temple is damaged when the unity is damaged. When Christ and his members are divided the temple is damaged.

Paul also speaks of God's people as his temple in his letter to the Ephesians. He writes, "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit" (2:19-22). The parallels to the first passage examined in this post are clear.

Nothing in scripture that mentions the temple ad it being damaged is concerned with mere physical bodies or mere physical activities such as tattooing one's body. If one wants to honor the temple of God then they ought to edify the saints and the community of saints and flee from sexual immorality so that they may honor God with all of who they are and have unity with the Sprit. To do otherwise would be to defile God's temple. Therefore, the argument that the human body is God's temple and we must honor it by not tattooing the body misuses the temple language used by Paul and the gospel authors. Besides, who really believes painting the walls defiles a house? The Sistine Chapel looks a lot better with Michelangelo's work on the ceiling in my opinion.

If there is a valid argument against Christians having tattoos it certainly is not this argument.

Yoga & Christian Distinctiveness

Revelife recently featured a blog that addressed the Hindu origins of yoga and how those origins may be problematic for Christians. Left unsaid, the issue of practicing yoga is problematic for Christians because they, like the Jewish people preceding them, are commanded to be a holy (set apart/distinct) people on earth. The Church is not meant to be persuaded by the religious practices of surrounding culture. Throughout scripture Israel's downfall originates in exactly such persuasion and engagement of religious practices. Even in the New Testament this temptation to abandon the distinctness of the culture of the kingdom of God for the embrace of worldly culture becomes quite heavy on the Church and as a result her leaders must set the church members straight with proper theological teaching.

There was a point for the church in Corinth in which sinful behavior was thriving. The city was full of various religions, gods, and idolatrous practices. Corinth was so filled with idolatry that it was difficult (perhaps impossible for some people) to live their lives without involving themselves with idoltrous practices. One of the greatest examples of this was the eating of food that was sacrificed to idols. The food at friends' homes and in the market place were often involved in idol sacrifice and the Christians, being arrogant in their knowledge of the truth (that those gods were nothing and that food is merely food) gave little thought to their practices and as a result caused great damage to their witness as a body and caused great damage to members of their very own body. The eighth chapter of 1Corinthians states,

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.

So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.*

We are fooled if we somehow believe that this sensitivity is no longer necessary in our midst. We still have immature and weak conscienced believers in our gatherings. We still have practices that are polluted by idolatry surrounding us in our daily lives. Yoga is a good enough example for the present-day church. It's Hindu origins can not be denied. It is clearly a religious practice at its core and it seeks to glorify false gods ("nothing" gods). However, many Christians (and nonChristians) practice yoga merely for the sake of physical exercise. Just as the Hindu roots of yoga can not be denied neither can the health benefits of the practice. After all, can not the sober mind confess that stretching is nothing special? If the Hindu gods are nothing and the configuring of one's body is in no way divinely important then what harm is there in practicing yoga or similar activities? For the individual who has this knowledge there is no danger. However, for the unbeliever and for the believer with a weak conscience (or formerly associated with the idolatrous practice) the damage could be immense so one must learn their environment, their liberty, and how to appropriately engage the world around them so as to only edify and give proper witness. How do we answer this dilemma in practical terms? We'll get back to that in a moment.

I've never been a fan of any type of product that is a mock of an already existing product with the slight alteration of adding a "Christian" emphasis. T-shirts that play on popular slogans and logos, bands that make music near identical to "secular" artists but with altered lyrics, mints with scriptures on them, etc. have always rubbed me as corny, noncreative, and shameful. At the same time, there is something to be said about the obvious attempt to be a distinct people in clothing, food, entertainment, and so on. I encourage Christians to mark themselves as Christ-followers in this world in every way possible! I also encourage them to do so in creative and, if possible, original ways. I no longer despise Christianized mock-products but they still don't impress me. The fact is, we need to be distinct. We need to worship God in all we do (1Corinthians 10:31). Perhaps making Christian exercise programs that resemble yoga but put an emphasis on the truths of the One True God is a great idea. If nothing else it certainly makes the statement that the Christian is concerned with how they are perceived. They desire to be seen as attached to God and serious about that attachment. That's a big part of holiness.

At the end of the day the discussion isn't truly about yoga. It's not even fully about Christians being distinct in their world in which they are to be foreigners/aliens. The issue is love. Love is what makes Christians truly holy and truly distinctive in this world. Love takes on many forms. Sometimes love takes on abstinence for certain practices, clothing, entertainment, etc. Sometimes it takes on the engagement of certain practices, clothing, entertainment, etc. Nothing has changed in the last several thousand years in regards to this truth. Whatever Christians do to be distinct people and avoid idolatry, they must do it with the intent to first love God and second, love their neighbor. Whenever Christians think of themselves last and all others first they will be truly unique and holy. Therefore, if one can practice yoga and not cause harm then there is liberty for them to do so and if one engages in a Christianized version of yoga then let them do so creatively in a way that honors God. Finally, if one abstains completely from those activities, let them do so in complete and noncondemning love so that their holiness does not become a deathly legalism that endangers their salvation and the salvation of others.

One way in which we can best discern how to live our our daily lives as distinct and selfless people is to discuss all matters with our congregations. May we seek proper theological education. May we go to our Pauls and ask them what is right and good for us to do and what is not right and good. Let us not think ourselves knowledgeable and become so arrogant as to live without authority, rebuke, or edification. Let us be selfless and depend on our communities and leaders of faith as well as scripture and the Holy Spirit to lead us into loving this world as a holy people.

*Equally important to the discussion but omitted for the sake of space is 1Corinthians 10.

Christians Who Don't Love Others

Basil of Caesarea, a fourth-century monk and bishop, wrote, "I cannot persuade myself that without love to others, and without, as far as rests with me, peaceableness towards all, I can be called a worthy servant of Jesus Christ.”

On a recent post of mine someone made the comment that they have met more Christians who do not love others than Christians who do love others. This comment broke my heart because it is so difficult for me to picture my brothers and sisters leaving such an impression on someone. This is difficult for Christians to address. We want to be a people of mercy who understand the human condition and be able to admit that even after entering the kingdom of God people continue to slip up from time to time. However, we must be able to sternly declare that those who live a lifestyle that is not defined by faith and good works are not Christians. Those who live a lifestyle of sinfulness are not in the kingdom of God and should not be treated as though they are. Christians may slip up but if they do they seek confession and repentance. In other words, they admit their trespass and seek to act differently. They reconcile.

Just the Martyr once wrote, "Anyone who is not found living in accordance with his teachings should not be regarded as a Christian even if he confesses to Christ’s teaching with his lips. For he said that only those shall be saved who do not just talk, but who also do the corresponding works."

1John 4:7-12, 20-21 - "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us... Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister."

Since God alone is judge (James 4:12) we [Christans] are not to judge those outside the church but we are certainly to judge those within the church (1 Corinthians 5:12). This means that we must be firm in who we call Christians. We must ask if the person is baptized, partakes of the sacraments, and lives out the life that accompanies the words of faith. Do they confess, believe, and act like Christians ought to? If so, call them Christian. If they do not resemble Jesus in this world (1 John 4:17) then do not call them Christian. If someone claims to love God and be united with Christ but they do not love, or if they do sinful/hateful things and do not return with confession and changed action then it is safe to say they are not filled with the reconciling love of God and thus unworthy of the title Christian.

Therefore, let all who identify themselves as belonging to Christ love God and their neighbor so that all neighbors may come to love God and their neighbors. May all Christians prove their faith with their good works. May they stick to love even when it may not appear as such to the unbeliever for in the end love will win out. Love well, because a judgment is coming. Love because you have been loved and the only way to continue in that love is to live it out in daily life.