Category: Christianity (Page 7 of 23)

There Is Freedom From Addiction

FreedomFor nearly twenty years I struggled with an addiction to pornography. Over those two decades, the addiction became progressively worse and more controlling. I began to feel there was no way out. Last week I shared ways that addiction will control you. You can read that article [HERE].

For a vast majority of those two decades, I was in counseling for unrelated issues. There were many opportunities to share my struggle with a professional. However, the control of addiction kept me silent. My hopelessness grew as my addiction spoke more convincingly to me than the professionals. I was trapped and there was no way out. Or so it seemed.

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THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON THEWHOLEMAN.CO ON JANUARY 25, 2016.

American Christianity and Syrian Refugees

The attacks in Paris last week have brought the topic of Syrian refugees back to the forefront. My FB and Twitter feeds are clogged with views and opinions from both sides about how we should handle these people with no home to go back to. I’m not surprised at some of the responses. I knew many people would brand the majority of the refugees as “threats to our national security.”

What I am surprised at is the disparity I see between the way that many Christians have responded as opposed how the more “liberally” minded American has. I’m not talking about what the Republican candidates are pitching as their potential policy; they’re just going to say the opposite of whatever the Democrat candidates say. And, I really can’t take a lot of what Trump says seriously any way; maybe it’s the hair.

What I’m talking about is that fact that most of the people I know (and those I see throughout various media outlets), that would be branded “liberal,” are in favor of helping and welcoming them, while I see so many Christians talking more about our need to protect ourselves from those refugees that may potentially be ISIS members.

And there in lies the problem. So many Americans have confused being American with following Christ. American Christianity holds up the 2nd Amendment and the American flag; Christianity holds up Christ. American Christianity is content with going to church on Sunday; Christianity is compelled to go to the needy. American Christianity trusts in the government to protect us; Christianity depends on God for strength in weakness. American Christianity demands the government legislate civil morality; Christianity trusts in the love of Christ to transform hearts.

We sit in our secure neighborhoods, in our safe homes and watch in horrified outrage while ISIS beheads Christians on a beach. We take to social media and call for their destruction and talk about the need to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters. Then, we get outraged and scream persecution because of a red cup or because someone says “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” We’re more concerned with “keeping Christ in Christmas” than we are in revealing Christ in us.

We’ve let fear grip us and because of that we speak of refusing to allow those in deep need, refuge. We support Trump when he says, “they’re going back.” We threaten them with our ability to enact our 2nd amendment rights. And we make them all enemies of the state. Maybe it’s just me, but it all just feels wrong. The Christianity of the Bible looks a lot different than the Christianity I see on social media.

To be honest I don’t see anywhere in the Bible where Jesus talks about the importance of our safety. What I do see is Jesus, who knew the hearts of those who would plot against Him (better than they did), going to the cross for them. I see Him allowing every single one of His Apostles (sans John) to be murdered for the sake of the Gospel. I see Paul acknowledging that everywhere he was called to minister the Holy Spirit warned him that in every city imprisonment and afflictions awaited him; he still went. I see Stephen, being stoned to death, keeping his eyes on Jesus while asking God not to hold his murders’ sin against them. I see Jesus telling us that the world will hate us on account of Him and that they hated Him first. And I see Him promising that in this world we will have trials and tribulation, but promised that He has overcome the world. I don’t see “have concern for your safety.”

There doesn’t seem to be a caveat to the command to love your neighbor as yourself. Or to Jesus telling us to that what ever we did for the least we did for Him. I don’t see an exception to Jesus compassion or a penchant for just serving the “good” Jews. In fact, the one person that Jesus notes as having faith unlike any He’s ever seen and heals a servant for is a Roman officer; the Jews’ enemy, His enemy. The Christianity of the Bible looks a lot different than the Christianity I see on Facebook.

The truth is, there is no American Christianity. It doesn’t exist. We don’t get to add anything to what Jesus said His followers would look like. Maybe we call it Americanity, but it isn’t Christianity. Christianity “loves their enemy and prays for those that persecute them.” Christianity “does justice, loves kindness, and walks humbly with God.

I’m not suggesting that God doesn’t care for our wellbeing, I know God cares for us, but people are trying to divorce that from God’s deeper love for the world and all humanity. God cares for our safety, but not more than He desires all to be saved. His concern for us is a result of His love for us. God loves the Syrian refugees and our only response, as Christians, should be to extend love, justice, and compassion to them. 

You can click HERE is you’re interested in groups that are helping.

Jordan Refugee is another amazing organization doing some great work to aid and support Syrians in Jordan.

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The best way for Christians to teach same-gender married couples a lesson

Lessons-LearnedIt’s actually pretty simple and I’m surprised that more Christians haven’t thought of this. With celebrities, like Brangelina and David Pocock and his partner Emma Palandri (I’ll call them Dama or Emmavid), vowing not to get married until same-gender marriage is legal, the likely Christian counter-point response should be obvious… DIVORCE. That’s right, divorce. You should feel stupid for not coming up with that idea yourself. But not all of us Christians are inept to the right way to get our point across that same-gender marriage will ruin all marriage. Nick and Sarah Jensen figured out this little gem of a protest for us.

Evidently, Nick and Sarah have warned the Australian government that should they legalize same-gender marriage later this year, then they “…as a matter of conscience, refuse to recognise the government’s regulation of marriage…” The couple says that they’re happily married and plan to stay together, even having more children, but should the definition of marriage change, they will not partake in it, thus landing themselves in “Ye Ol’Divorce Court.” Hopefully the Australian government heeds this warning because as a Christian, honestly I’d like not to have to live through the pain of reading this in the news or on my social media feeds and then having to write about how atrociously ridiculous it is.

I understand that many Christians feel the need to openly uphold their conviction about how the bible defines marriage. I get it, it’s important to you and a sensitive subject that has caused a lot of frustration and hurt on both sides of the issue. But what’s more important to me is how God views how sacred I treat marriage, not whether I get the government to acknowledge my belief. Honestly, I don’t share my view publicly because it doesn’t matter what I publicly think the definition of marriage is. What does matter is my personal private view. The way that I hold and esteem marriage as a covenant between my wife and I before God is a private affair and I hope that the evidence in how I treat her and speak of her reveals my view publicly. Being a Christian always comes back to how I follow Jesus, never how good I am at making sure the government legislates morality. The thing that pains me the most is the extent to which Christians will go in an attempt to prove a point.

The fact that this couple is willing to take something that in their view is “…a fundamental order of creation, part of God’s intimate story for human history…” and sully it with something that God outrightly says he hates blows my mind. Listen to what’s going on here: a Christian couple who say marriage is a sacred covenant, created by God, is using divorce, a man-made procedure created to destroy that covenant and something  that God hates and Jesus said only exists because we’re hardhearted, to prove just how sacred marriage is.  Does that make any sense? Because for me, it sounds as close to unbiblical as anything I can think of. On top of that, they’re going to stay together and have sex, outside the legal bounds of marriage, because marriage is between them and God. Got it. No muddy water there. This is almost like saying, “If the government makes abortion legal, I’m going to quit having kids.” What?

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it, the bible is the standard by which WE, confessed followers of Jesus, are called to live. It is not a list of sins and right behaviors that we’re supposed to use to tell the world how wrong they are and how much they need to change. The bible is meant for His kingdom citizens, and yes, some day that Kingdom will be here and yes we’re called to start living in the image of that while we’re on earth (the whole “in the world, not of it” bit), but yelling at people and getting divorced aren’t really good ways to do that. Jesus never intended on changing the culture, He intends to change us and that only comes through communion with Him, and getting divorced isn’t part of that. Once you’ve confessed Him, you’re supposed to tell people about Him and then allow the Holy Spirit, not you, to lead them into truth, while you walk through it with them. That’s done through love and relational communion with others. It’s surely not done by divorcing your spouse. Christians, we can do better.

The worst part is that while all the gay people are going to be getting the tax benefits of being married, who’s going to lobby for tax protection for people that get divorced as an act of protecting their religious freedom, but intend to still continue to co-habitat, as if married, while having children out of wedlock? Maybe the Australian ACLU? Does that organization exist? Anyone interested in starting it if it doesn’t?

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