Magazine Review- U.S. News & World Report: Secrets of Christianity

I don't know how often I will review external material on this site, but around the time I was beginning this blog, I came across this magazine in a supermarket. It caught my eye, and given the title of my blog I considered it my duty to read the material and relay my general impressions.
The magazine has four themes (Who Was Jesus?, Unearthing The Gospels, Martyrs Heretics And History, and Miracles Faith And Science) in which there are 3-4 articles per theme with discussions about various aspects of the Christian faith. While the magazine definitely takes the "conspiracy theory" route in advertising, I found that it was well rounded in portraying the different perspectives on each issue covered.
In the first section (Who Was Jesus?) the articles delve into the legitimacy of the narrative of Jesus as portrayed in the Bible. This section reinforced for me that we all seem to invent our own truths at some point in reference to periods of time that we are detached from. For example, James Tabor (author of The Jesus Dynasty: The Hidden History of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity) seems to pick and choose what he deems valid in the Biblical narrative to justify what he's found out about Jesus in his external research. My problem with this is his rejection of certain parts of the same texts which, in my opinion, have always been a vital part of Christian practice.
Don't get me wrong, we all use the Bible at some point to justify our own world views and experiences. It would be wrong for me to belittle Tabor's point of view without admitting to probably doing something similar. I just think Tabor goes too far out of his way to justify his own point of view and I disagree with him on many core points.
The other three topics have similar articles with people who take differing points of view on topics like the Gnostic Gospels, the Crusades, Hitler's view of the church, miracles and the apocalypse. I won't review each section extensively, but I will say that I find this magazine fascinating and well researched (in some places more than others).
I guess the one redeeming thing I got from this book is that it seems at multiple points in history people have done their best to debunk Jesus as the Christ and Christianity as a whole. One of the main points they have made is that the faith seems to change its "rules" with the times (usually citing the Catholic church), but also questioning Christ's very existence. As modern science has confirmed Biblical settings and the characters in the Bible have been shown to exist indeed, the very argument of those who refute Christianity seems to change as much as the Christian faith itself.
That's not to say that the conversation and search for truth shouldn't evolve. While I obviously come to different conclusions than those that don't recognize Christ, I think the path to those conclusions often intersect and often may seem eerily similar. After all, isn't faith somewhat rooted in a process involving skepticism? And doesn't even the most severe critic need some level of faith to justify that skepticism?
This piece definitely does prove that Jesus is still relevant in today's world no matter what you think of him. I would definitely pick this up and read through it if you are interested in Christian history and theology.

God bless,

Jason

Lectionary: Third Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Passages

Acts 9:1-6 (7-20)
Psalm 30
Revelation 5:11-14
John 21:1-19

Here are this weeks passages. I have had a lot going on in my personal life that has inhibited what I hoped to have accomplished at this point. Bear with me and I will try to have a piece on sin and holiness up soon.

Lectionary: Second Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Passages

Acts 5:27-32
Psalm 150
Revelation 1:4-8
John 20:19-31

Hey folks, sorry I'm late getting these up and I apologize for not having the Easter day scriptures posted. Life has simply gotten in the way. It has been a trying time for my family to say the least, but in spite of my own struggles I have found myself continuing to grow by God's grace. I found myself in a unique situation yesterday that unfolded into a real life story of how we can serve others while being in a tough situation ourselves.
A couple weeks ago I heard a sermon on the story of "The Good Samaritan." I won't rehash the whole sermon, but the story was about a person in desperate need being helped by someone who he would least expect, and probably a person who he may not want help from. There was also an anecdotal story within the sermon about a group of college students who ended up being tested on their real life application of the story and they all ended up ignoring an actor portraying someone in need as they were asked to hurry to another part of campus (I apologize for not remembering all the details).
The point of it all was not that we should demonize others for not recognizing those in need within their immediate vicinity or to demonize ourselves, but I took it as a call to be more aware and active in our response to those needs.
So yesterday afternoon I had agreed to drop a friend off at work as well as pick up my sister in-law from work around 5:45-6ish. As I was heading home I found myself stuck behind a car that was stalled in the middle of the road (two lanes both ways with a left turn lane; the car was in the left lane). I started to switch lanes and my immediate response was that I was a bit agitated. I wasn't upset with the people in the parked car, but at the inconvenience of having to work around the car through traffic to get home.
As I pulled past the car many things came to my mind in a short amount of time. The sermon I'd heard a couple weeks prior came to mind. An opportunity to put my conviction of putting my faith in practice came to mind. Lastly, I felt a bit shamed and embarrassed at my initial reaction given my approach and response intellectually to the gospel.
I pulled into a Meijer (a department store) that was at the corner of where the car was stalled and ventured out into the middle of a busy street to see how I could offer any assistance, if any. To make a long story short, I ran to a gas station and bought gas for the family of five in the car. When that didn't work I was able to call a tow and help drive the family members where they needed to be in two separate trips.
As soon as I finished this task I got a call from my friend and picked him up from work as well as brought him to pick up his car from the person who had fixed it. I didn't get home until 10.
I'm not writing this to make anyone think I am a saintly person, or to instill guilt in anyone. I am the most selfish person I know and in all likelihood I've missed out on exponentially more opportunities to help people than I've been able to take advantage of a situation like yesterdays. It seems to me that we are so focused on what we are doing and where we are going that we miss out on what God is putting right in our paths.
My only intention in sharing this with my few readers (or would be readers) is that I hope it prompts a deliberate intention to open ourselves up to these kinds of "inconveniences." I found that in my service of others yesterday that I was truly the one served.

God bless,

Jason

Holy Week Scriptures

Lectionary Passages for Holy Week

Monday- Isaiah 42:1-9, Psalm 36:5-11, Hebrews 9:11-15, John 12:1-11

Tuesday- Isaiah 49:1-7, Psalm 71:1-14, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, John 12:20-36

Wednesday- Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 70, Hebrews 12:1-3, John 13:21-32

Holy Thursday- Exodus 12:1-14, Psalm 116:1-4 12-19, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26,
John 13:1-17 31b-35

Good Friday- Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Psalm 22, Hebrews 10:16-25, John 18:1-19:42

In an effort to increase the quality of this blog for the long run, I will be scaling back the content on the site. I will no longer do analysis on every lectionary text. I will post the text still for those who want to study the scripture each Monday. Holy week has texts for each day, and I apologize for having this week's text up late.
Each month will have a topic on which I will put together a post and I have also invited guests to post on the topic on my site. April's topic is sin and holiness, so keep an eye out for different pieces and please feel free to interact.

God bless,

Jason

Randomness

Hey all,

I am new to the blog thing and as you can see, I've added different gadgets on the right side of my blog page. My wife is Haitian and so obviously helping out Haiti happens to be something that affects my family as well as the families in Haiti. Don't hesitate to help through the Red Cross or by donating a tree for reforestation. I want my blog to be a portal for my readers to be able to access a way to do mission and not just hear me ramble. I would also appreciate any ideas for making the blog better.

Rant over,

Jason

Giving Ourselves to the Greater Good

Liturgy of the Passion-
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 22:14-23:56

All scripture can be looked up at http://www.biblegateway.com/ for those who may not have immediate access to a Bible.

Analysis- I don't know how many times the story of Christ's death has been told to me, but it is often told with the same meaning implied: That Jesus died for me so that all my sins would be washed away. Often when I heard this story (either in Sunday School or a sermon) the analogy of dirty linen being washed clean would be used. It's amazing to me how the story of the cross has also been made into a success story revolving around our individual salvation. While I don't think this is necessarily always the intent of the person interpreting the story, often times I got the impression that all I had to do was believe in Jesus and that was enough to ensure that I would live forever in heaven. I was told that this decision to believe was easily accomplished with a simple prayer, and often it was implied that I would be set for life, or rather more correctly, beyond life.
While I have no doubts that the many people who present Jesus' death in this way have nothing but the best in mind, I believe that personally many of these spiritual topics were, in fact, not simple or easy to grasp and that they held implications that transcended my youthful understanding of the world. I also believe that looking at the story of Jesus and summarizing it in this way minimizes the gospel and can also stunt our spiritual growth. Keep in mind that I'm not at all saying that Christ didn't die for our sins, or that he didn't die so that he could have an individual relationship with those who are willing, but I'm just saying that we need to ask what that all means for us beyond individual salvation.
For instance, some questions that grew on me from the time I was baptized at a prepubescent age were: What do I do now that I'm a Christian? What does it mean to have a relationship with Christ? If I'm going to heaven anyway, what more should I do? Etc.
Too often, people become Christians and their whole understanding of their relationship is that they are "safe" and their lives become a mission to "save" other people before they die. Obviously I'm leaving out a lot of the steps and theological understandings, but for some, the Christian faith is an ultimatum between choosing God/Jesus/heaven and hell.
While I certainly believe that we are called to invite others into the faith, I don't think Jesus intended for people to make the faith about abstract states of being outside of the realm of this world (heaven or hell). In fact, I think that Christ wanted his people doing his work and accomplishing his will in this world. Why do some Christians try to convert people with limited understandings of the consequences of this life, acting as if we have the final say and not God? Wouldn't our energy be better spent teaching what Christ did in this world and how, as his followers, we wish to act similarly to the best of our ability to honor his sacrifice? In my experience an invitation is more appealing than an ultimatum, especially an ultimatum human beings have no control over and have, at best, a limited understanding of.
I want to close my analysis with a thought about how our faith could be different, a thought that some will likely think extreme if not heretical, but hopefully a thought that will at least prompt others to re-think how they look at their faith.
How would we appear differently to others if we were willing to go to hell for others so that they could taste heaven? I don't necessarily mean beyond our earthly existence, but to gently rephrase the question: What ways can we better give ourselves for others regardless of what others believe, and regardless of the consequences to ourselves?
Didn't Jesus go to hell so we wouldn't have to? Didn't he, as God, experience death so it wouldn't be our ending? I know some have answered the very questions I've asked better than I have and maybe ever will. I don't believe that Jesus walked the path of suffering so I could be comfortable. I like to look at Christ's life and death more as an example of holiness that I can't reach or imitate, and because of that, a relationship with Christ is not only vital, but compels me to imitate that example to the best of my ability within the context of my surroundings. Because of this I invite you to join me however you feel you can.

I'd just like to add that I don't have all the answers (insert obvious joke), and the passages and stories that I analyze are often hard to organize my thoughts in. My intention is never to step on anyone's toes or insult their individual interpretations or understandings. I am perfectly comfortable with the idea that I could be wrong. I have, however, thought very deeply about the things I post or write about, so don't think I do this casually.

If you'd like to write something about a topic that comes up on this blog and would like your thoughts posted here, just let me know via e-mail: jsquiggles23@hotmail.com I will review and make a decision about what gets posted, but I will not decide to not post something if the said piece is in disagreement with something I've written. I actually invite discussion, and since it's my blog I reserve the right to respond and have the last word (HAHAHA {evil laugh} HAHAHA).

Sorry about posting the passion analysis a day later, but it didn't feel right before Palm Sunday.

God bless,

Jason

The Savior We Want Isn't Always the Savior We Need

Palm Sunday Lectionary Passages:

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+118%3A1-2%2CPsalm+118%3A19-29&version=NIV

Luke 19:28-40 link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2019:28-40&version=NIV

(I will be linking scripture rather than posting the verses in their entirety, so if you don't have a Bible you may copy and paste the links to your browser to see the analyzed scripture)

Analysis- We are guilty sometimes, perhaps often, of reading about the story of "The Triumphal Entry" (as it is titled in scripture) and wondering how the same people who were exalting Jesus and celebrating him as the fulfillment of the Torah (literally exclaiming the prophecy of Psalm 118 to Jesus as praise) would be some of the same people calling for his head not a week later. Why do I reference guilt? Because while we have the benefit of "the rest of the story," it is easy to become self righteous and assume that we wouldn't make the same mistakes as the people who witnessed Jesus first hand. In doing so, I think we make the same mistake many people made in that time.
You see, the Jews had a very different idea for what type of savior Jesus would be. They thought he would literally save them from their Roman oppressors and re-establish Israel as a nation. Jesus actually weeps approaching Jerusalem after receiving the people's praises, knowing the truth of what is to come. While the people recognized Jesus as a fulfillment of prophecy, they had the wrong idea of what that prophecy was as well as what their place was within the prophecy. As a result, when Jesus wasn't who they wanted him to be, they gladly joined those who condemned him to the cross as a criminal.

I'd like to think that I wouldn't be among those who did that, but the truth of the matter is I'm sure I would find myself in the same crowds. We do the same thing to Jesus today when we take his gospel and misrepresent it to support our own idea of who he is without realizing that Jesus' reality transcends our own understandings. I'm sure God forgives us for our limited understandings, because belief and faith are most often grown from limited understandings. I believe our spiritual growth is stunted when we allow our limitations extend to our understanding of Christ.
I wish I could be more specific, but there are so many ways that we do this, and we're probably unaware at the time we're doing them. One specific way would be when we claim Jesus for our own benefit and gain. Does the appearance of being a "devout Christian" afford us popularity in the communities in which we live? Does it help the businesses we run? Does it help us get votes? Does it give us influence over people who otherwise would ignore us?
I realize that some of these questions imply some darker things about us, but their are people doing their best to be Christians and their faith becomes something that only comforts and never moves us to compromise or sacrifice. When we use our relationship this way, even our sacrifices or things that we compromise for others become an even greater benefit to ourselves. The work we did publicly for that charity? The money we donated publicly for the good of others. I could probably make an endless list, but I'll spare you the guilt because that's not my intent.
As we prepare for Palm Sunday and the last week of Jesus' life culminating in his death, let's do our best to combat the part of ourselves that would use Jesus and our calling as Christians for our own good. Let's focus our attention on how we can give of ourselves in a selfless way; a way that might even cause us to truly lose so others might gain. Jesus truly gave everything up for the benefit of all. We can honor his sacrifice by doing our best to reflect and imitate that for others. We may want a savior who comes to save us and our immediate family; what we need is a savior who compels us to offer up ourselves for the sake of anyone, especially our enemies.

I'll post my analysis on the passion soon (tomorrow or Saturday).
God bless and let me know what you think,

Jason