Ugly Rhetoric Reflects U.S. Need for Core Change

I can identify with the anger and loose tongues so prevalent in today's political culture. I too have been guilty of letting it fly, though not so much these days. And today, with the internet just a fingertip away, it's easier to

How not to write a blog post or run for president

vent anger through writing than with the spoken word. Many articles and blogs have a comments section, which I sometimes find more interesting than the articles themselves. I've been known to write critical comments after reading a particularly disagreeable article or blog post. My, um, goal is to give constructive criticism, which is a good and needful thing.

On many Christian websites, some comments by Christians go beyond thoughtful criticisms to blatant insults. An insult tends to draw other fiery comments, perhaps by non-Christians with opposing views. The Christian will then counter punch, and soon we have an embarrassing fight where the unbeliever ends up more convinced than ever that most Christians are obnoxious hypocrites.

Christianity Today Magazine recently began a campaign called Beautiful Orthodoxy. Over the years, they noticed how the truths of the Christian faith are sometimes presented in ugly ways, especially on the internet. Part of this ugliness was evident in their comments sections below the main online articles. It got so bad that CT decided to stop/limit comments, though readers can still blather on the CT fcebk page. Anyway, CT started Beautiful Orthodoxy to promote the idea that truth can be expressed in an appealing way. This movement sounds good, as long as orthodoxy isn't compromised in an attempt to make it palatable. But that's another issue.

Prior to writing online comments or (ahem) blog posts, we should think through a few guidelines that force us to take a look at our motives. First, is God being glorified by my writing? Second, are the readers being edified? Am I being loving toward others, especially toward those I'm criticizing? In general, do my comments reflect the fruit of the Spirit? Before I respond to someone's disagreeable comment, I should take a deep breath and pray, "Lord, what can I write that will bless this person?"

At this point, I'm afraid to look back at the stuff I've written. Without a doubt I've posted things with the intent to win, dominate or even hurt. There's a difference between winning an argument and winning someone's heart. It's okay to respectfully persuade someone to embrace my position (assuming my position is valid). It's not okay to defeat them for the sake of boosting my ego.

1 Peter 3:15 is typically used as a reminder for Christians to always be prepared to share their faith. Indeed, it's a great verse for that purpose. However, the entire verse says a few things about our heart and method: "...but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect..." Whether in evangelism or on the internet, our purpose is to honor God and love people.

Colossians 4:6 is similar: "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." Gracious means being kind and pleasant in manner, as well as reflecting God's unmerited favor and mercy. The notes in the ESV Study Bible say that seasoned with salt suggests "speaking in an interesting, stimulating, and a wise way."

Then there's the ugly, unwise political rhetoric of our current presidential election. In a democracy, our leaders are typically a reflection of those who elect them. New York Times columnist David Brooks recently wrote of the presidential campaign, "We are now in a society in which serial insults to basic decency aren't automatically disqualifying. Clearly, we have a giant task of moral repair ahead of us."

Brooks is on the right track and offers a variety of practical solutions for our country's post-election future; and certainly we should do all we can, through policy, to deal with our country's problems, not to mention the current large-scale populist discontent. But moral repair won't happen with political band aids.

True moral repair happens through a transformed heart. Jesus said, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34). Our national tongue won't be tamed until our country's heart changes. Revival is the answer for the United States and our speech habits. 19th century preacher Charles Spurgeon described revival as: "...to live again, to receive again a life which has almost expired; to rekindle into a flame the vital spark which was nearly extinguished."

The rekindling begins with the Christian church, those who already have the spark of spiritual life inside. When that spark is revived, the ugly rhetoric within the church will be replaced by gentle, respectful and gracious truth, seasoned with salt. Then the revival will spread to unbelievers, who will be wooed by the Holy Spirit into the loving arms of our Heavenly Father. This is the core change that will transform individuals, communities, regions and entire nations. I believe in miracles.

Historically, revival happens when Christians pray for it. I must confess, I have not been praying for our nation's revival. However, now is a good time to start. Will you join me? God bless America and the whole world.

Horrible President? The U.S. Will Survive and Perhaps Thrive

Though the Devil him/herself may be our next president, I'm confident that our country will survive and perhaps thrive. Why? Because the founders of our nation created a brilliant document called the U.S. Constitution -- the blueprint by which our federal government operates. Within the Constitution is a check-and-balance system that prevents any one branch of government from asserting too much power.

Could a dimwitted Devil be our next president?

Of course, with the election just around the corner, the fate of the executive branch concerns us most these days. What if an incompetent tyrant becomes President? First of all, the U.S. Constitution was created to foil a bad president's devilish schemes. The founders understood the fallibility of the human heart. Contrary to 21st century post-modern philosophy that takes a high view of the human soul, the founders realized the intrinsic evil within all of us. They knew that if any one person is given too much power, that power would likely be abused. To prevent this, the U.S.Constitution mandates something called the separation of powers.

To see how this works, let's quickly review the three branches of our federal government. They are the Executive ( the president and his appointees), the Legislative (the Senate and House of Representatives), and the Judicial (the Supreme Court and lower courts). Each branch has the authority to overrule the other branches. Most presidential decisions must receive congressional approval before becoming law. Likewise, congressional legislation typically needs a presidential signature to become law. The Supreme Court can invalidate a proposed congressional law by declaring it unconstitutional. The Supreme Court can also declare an executive (presidential) order unconstitutional, thus invalidating it.

So, when we elect a dimwitted Tasmanian devil as our next president, he/she will be thwarted by the Legislative and Judicial branches of our wonderful federal government. Though the next president will likely cause some injury to our nation and the world, the Constitution helps prevent extensive damage. Also, if the president blatantly abuses power and breaks laws, he or she can be impeached and removed from office.

In my opinion, a bad president can only inflict a limited amount of harm to our country. We will survive and perhaps thrive. Granted, the system is not perfect. If it were flawless, we would never elect a lousy president to begin with. Mistakes do happen, but thank God for our great founders, who created a Constitution with solid checks and balances.

Our country is experiencing a short-term discontent within the electorate, both liberal and conservative, that has resulted in a broad-base desire for radical change. Socialist Bernie Sanders nearly defeated establishment candidate Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Promising big change, Donald Trump won his party's nomination by defeating a large field of establishment Republicans. I see all this as a short-term, fluky phenomenon caused in part by the polarization between the Obama administration and the conservative congress. The public, both left and right, became sick and tired of nothing getting done. As chaotic as this current situation is, I think it will resolve itself.

However, there is a long-term malaise that is slowly spreading through the soul of our country. This malaise has been caused by the gradual transformation of the American world view over decades. These societal changes slowly affect change within all three branches government. The malaise affects both Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, zealous and apathetic. The will of American society, if persistent through the years, will cause significant change in leadership.

Our world view has become much less vertical, and much more horizontal. See my blog post The Rise of the Nones, which discusses the 2012 Pew research data showing a steady decline of religious affiliation by Americans. In a nutshell, we are slowly becoming a country that ignores God. This is a long-term sickness of the American soul that isn't directly related to politics. However, it certainly reflects the type of political leaders we elect.

I think it's fine and necessary to criticize our political leaders, as long as the criticism is valid. But there's a big difference between valid criticisms and tasteless insults. All the derogatory language we see among the candidates simply reflects our cultural decline.

The Bible tells us to pray for our leaders. And yes, Scripture says we are to obey them (even those we voted against), though we should not obey those laws that violate God's laws. The New Testament was written during the rule of an evil Roman government that persecuted Christians.

This has been by far the most chaotic and distasteful presidential campaign of my (nearly) 57 years. I'm a bit of an eye-rolling cynic, so my response to this circus has been mostly mocking snickers, rather than anger. In a way, we're getting what we deserve by voting these people in. Though democracy strikes out occasionally, it usually hits the ball pretty good. And thank God for those checks and balances.

So that's my political philosophy contained in a single blog post. The Tasmanian devil made me do it.

Inside Out or Outside In?

You've probably heard the Christian truism: "Real, positive change in a person happens from the inside out." This means that if someone exhibits negative external behavior, then the true problem lies beneath the surface, within their dark soul. So, as their soul is transformed by the Holy Spirit, their visible behavior will

Branches bear good fruit when attached to the main Vine

eventually change for the better. I would say this is true...in part.

But another Christian truism says, "Lead with the body to open your heart to the Spirit." This is also true, but may seem contradictory to the first saying. "Leading with the body" implies that we begin with works in order to produce change in the heart.

In his Spiritual Formation lecture series, Dr. John Coe mentions an interesting difference between Baby Boomers and their parents, who were children of the Great Depression. The parents stressed external change, leading with the body and facing negative behaviors head on. The Boomers, however, focused on the heart (or soul), looking deep within themselves for meaning and answers to life's problems. One was external, the other internal. Both are true, I think. But both can go too far and get out of balance. One can lead with the body without giving proper attention to the heart. The other can focus so much on the heart that common-sense actions are neglected.

Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5 ESV). For a long time, this verse both comforted and disturbed me. Initially, I interpreted it two ways. First, that "abiding in Christ" was some sort of mystical union where I would get connected to God in a feel-good spiritual way, similar to what some think of as walking in the Spirit.

A second interpretation was that abiding meant rigorous love for God and others, as in dogged obedience and works. If I loved and obeyed really, really hard, then I'd bear much fruit. A problem occurred (rather frequently) during those times when I felt unspiritual, disconnected or disobedient  to Christ. This problem had to do with verse 6, "If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned." So, abiding in the Vine was no longer this peaceful, relational, pastoral idea of Christian spirituality. It was more like: you'd better maintain a continual, high level of obedience, along with a Spirit-filled life, or you will burn in hell.

This issue got resolved when I realized a third possible interpretation -- perhaps "abiding in Christ" referred to the Christian's one-time conversion by faith, not some up-and-down spiritual experience or high level of obedience. So, at the moment we convert and ask Christ to be our Lord and Savior, then we are solidly and forever abiding in the Vine. Even though we still sin and often don't feel connected, we are always connected by that one-time faith. So, if you are a Christian (whether strong or weak), you are abiding in the Vine. There's no need to strive for something more.

Of course, we need to define fruit. Later in John 15, Jesus indicates that those who abide and bear fruit will keep His commandments, abide in His love and love others. In Galatians 5:23, the fruit of the Spirit is listed as "...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; against such things there is no law." In Colossians 1:10, Paul prays that the believers at Colossae "...may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." So, it's safe to say that bearing fruit encompasses a lot, pretty much anything good that comes from the Christian's life. I don't think fruit refers specifically to winning souls to Christ. Not all are called to be evangelists, though all should "...be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3:15). So, I think we are fruitful by being willing and prepared to share the Gospel. The results are up to God.

So why are some Christians not bearing fruit? Some would say that unfruitful Christians are actually not Christians. The Calvinistic P in TULIP asserts the perseverance of the saints, that a true regenerated Christian will follow and obey Christ throughout their lives. Their lives will bear fruit. I would say this may be true in some cases.

My position is that if someone claims to be a Christian, but their overall behavior, words, and beliefs don't line up with Biblical truth, then they might not be a Christian. I think it's okay to gently express this doubt to the supposed Christian. It's better to risk offending someone who shows no evidence of their claim to faith, than to give them a false hope that they are saved. However, I don't know for sure what's going on in their heart. Since my boyhood conversion, I've drifted (big time) from the faith three times. Each time, I eventually came back. I'm pretty sure I was saved during the big drifts, but there is some doubt.

Why are some genuine Christians bearing little fruit, while others are bearing much? I think, in part, it's because the unfruitful Christians are neglecting the little things God has called them to. Some of Christ's parables talk about how his followers need to be faithful with little, so they will be entrusted with much. If we don't make the effort to take baby steps, how will we learn to run?

Being "faithful with little" involves leading with the body, which opens our heart to the Spirit. This can refer to the spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, confession, fellowship with strong believers, serving others, Bible reading, etc..  If God wants me to read the Bible daily, then I need to lead with my body by turning on my Kindle Fire and reading my ESV. It sounds like works, but it's really faith in action. James explains how Abraham's faith was completed by his works: "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness' -- and he was called a friend of God." (James 2:21-23 ESV).

Ah, but when I get too comfortable in leading with the body, there is a danger that it will become dead, faithless works. The purpose of a spiritual discipline isn't to pat myself on the back for doing it. Rather, it is to open myself to the Holy Spirit's work in my soul. That is why I'm to be faithful in the little things. When I do my part, God will do His part by transforming my heart and producing spiritual fruit in my life. As Paul said, "...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." I think salvation here refers not to the afterlife, but on how we navigate through the problems and circumstances of this life. I do my part and God does His part.

However, I've found that I can fall flat on my face even trying to do the little things. Sometimes the Lord reminds me that I need His strength in order to do anything. Paul said, "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ will rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9). I've lost count of the times I've prayed, "Please help me Lord! Apart from you I can do nothing!"

Is it inside out or outside in? I'd say both, but only if we're first connected to the Vine at conversion, by faith. Then, we lead with the body, so the Holy Spirit can transform our souls and produce genuine fruit in our lives.