What is the difference?

Aris Nichols of Chester, SC, stabbed his girlfriend back in April of this year.  Wednesday, he was arrested and charged with "death or injury to a child in utero due to commission of a violent crime".  You see, Brittany Jordan, the girlfriend,  was several months pregnant at the time of the stabbing and the unborn child, who the papers identified as "a son named Tavaris", did not survive the attack.

Now is it just me, or does anyone else see the incoherence in this?  If Brittany had gone to her doctor and had him perform an abortion,  no one would outside of the immediate family would have even noticed and Tavaris would have been just as dead.

Tavaris was either a human being or he was not.  If he wasn't, then Mr. Nichols should not be charged in his death.    If he was, then police are right to charge Mr. Nichols, but how can they charge him and let abortionists go free?   Someone will reply, "but Gray, abortion is legal".  That is what has me stumped.  How can our legal system continue to function with such convoluted logic?  I feel like I'm living in Alice's Wonderland, where down is up and up is down.

A Real Man

My question today is: “What does it mean to be a real man”?   That’s a hard question.  I recently asked two friends that question, and I have to tell you, I got blank stares.   It’s a hard question because we tend to drift along in life and never think about it.   We drift along with this fuzzy concept of manhood that we never really nail down.

In his book, “The True Measure of a Man” Richard Simmons ( not the Richard Simmons who wears the Tutu)  uses the term “false masculinity”.  What he means by that is that we as men are prone to get our identity, our sense of worth as a man, from the wrong sources.  He believes that we as men often define ourselves by what we do, who we know, how much money we make, what we own and so on.  When any of those things are threatened, we find our world falling apart.  It stresses us.  Why?    Because, deep down, we worry that without our trappings of professional success, status or wealth, we will not be considered a man.

To compound the problem, we pass this lack of clarity on manhood down to the next generation. Teenage boys are constantly told to act like men. To Man up.   The only problem is that most fathers never give them a real clear definition of manhood and their lives end up being shaped by the culture around them.  As a consequence, they fall into the same trap that many of us do, letting their self-worth rise or fall with their paycheck, the car they drive, their athletic prowess and so on.

I readily admit, that it is hard not to be drawn into this type of thinking because we live in a culture that is obsessed with getting affirmation from performance and achievement.  Tim Keller, the senior pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City, says that we are the first culture in history where men define themselves this way.

It has not always been this way.  Prior to WW II and maybe for a generation afterward, men would get their identity and sense of worth as a man through family relationships and by being known as men of character. 

Let me give you an example.  I remember growing up in McCormick County.  My Dad was a rural mail carrier who also had grown up there.   There weren’t many people in the county that did not know my Dad.  Wherever I happened to be as a teenager, if I ran into an adult who wanted to know who I was, and I told him my name, the reply was invariably, “Oh, you’re Gray’s boy.  I know your Dad.  He’s  a fine man”.  I was automatically given status and identity based on a family relationship with a man of character.

In the decade following WWII, as families became scattered, men turned other things besides family relationships in a search for identity and the meaning of manhood.  Unfortunately, they turned to the things I mentioned earlier.

In the social mobility of the post World War II economic boom, we became a consumer driven culture.   We began to define ourselves by what we could buy.   On top of that, not only were we consumers, we became conspicuous consumers and we measured ourselves not only by what we had, but what the guy next door had.  Advertisers tapped into our fears that we somehow did no measure up unless we had a certain product, convincing us to buy homes, cars, and all types of things, not because we necessarily need them, but to make a statement to some audience whose opinion we valued.

It has been said that  “a man gets his identity based on who or what in his life is most important to him”.   I happen to think that is somewhat true.  So the question is:  who is my audience?  What or who have I empowered to determine my value and worth as a man?

Lately, another factor known as  “The Graphic Revolution” has come into play.  Television with reality shows and shows like “American Idol”, the internet with You Tube and Facebook have become an integral part of our culture.  We now have the power to make average people doing average things “famous”.  We are a culture that thrives on celebrity.  We want to be noticed.  We have become more image conscious and less quality conscious.  American culture has become more interested in the appearance of success and not so much in the quality of our work and our character.  Studies show that American men would rather be envied for their material success and fame that respected for their character.

So if that us the problem, how do we solve it?  So how do we reorient the basis for our identity?  Remember the quote, “a man gets his identity based on who or what in his life is most important to him”?

What if we as Christian men determined that that “most important person” in our life was Jesus Christ and the most important thing was to please Him?  What if we got our sense of identity, our sense of worth from the God of the universe sees us?  What would our identity as a man be like?   Well, if , and only if, you have yielded your life to Christ and He is Lord of your life, God tells us how he sees us.

If we got our identity in Christ, we would not have to worry about performance because we are already accepted.

     Colossians 1:14 says that we have been redeemed and forgiven of our sins.

     Ephesians 2:18 says that we have been adopted as God’s child. We are the Kings Kids.

     1 Corinthians 6:20 says that we have been bought with a price and we belong to God.

If we got our identity in Christ, we would not have to worry about external circumstances, because we are already secure.          

Colossians 3:3 says that we are hidden with Christ in God.

     Romans 8:36 says that we cannot be separated from the love of God.

2 Timothy 1:2 says that we have not been given a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and a sound mind.

If we got our identity in Christ, we would not have to worry about significance because we are already significant.           

     Ephesians 2:10 says we are God’s workmanship.

     1 Corinthians 3:16 says we are God’s temple.

If we want to be the men that God designed and called us to be, we have to buy into the fact that the One who made us determines our identity and worth as man.   God doesn’t love us because we are valuable, because we have status, wealth, etc.   We are valuable because God loves us.

And what is the proof that God loves us?  The fact that He sent His Son Jesus into the world to save us.   Jesus stepped down into history and and was willing to pay the penalty that we could not pay, so we could have eternal fellowship with a God who loves us with a passion beyond anything we could imagine.

Now I asked “What does it mean to be a real man”.   I’m sure there are dozens of definitions, but here is one: A real man is an adult male whose character conforms to the character of Jesus Christ who got His sense of identity from His Father.  Think about it.  Jesus, fully God, fully man, walked this earth and He had every virtue worth emulating.  He was loving, so much so that he wept openly on occasion; He was not ashamed to cry.  He was compassionate, serving those who needed help.  He was humble, not seeking His own glory but the glory of his Father.  He was honest, saying that He came to testify to the truth and claiming that He was the truth.  He was a loyal friend, restoring Peter after Peter had failed Him.  He had incredible physical courage: John Wayne once said that being brave is being afraid and saddling up anyway.  Jesus spent an agonizing night in the Garden of Gethsemane and He saddled up anyway.  But the most important virtue that Jesus possessed was that His sole purpose in life was to honor His Father in Heaven regardless of the consequences.

Would that we answer the call to be such a man.

How does one become a Christian?

• 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, --1 Peter 3:15

The end of the thread of the conversation went like this:
"Become a Christian?  What do you mean by becoming a Christian?  I thought that you were sort of born that way.  Like in America--you are born here-- so you are automatically a Christian right?"

Whoa.  How does one respond to one who obviously has no understanding of Christianity  without resorting to  "Christianese" terms like "repentance", "born again", etc.,  that the person won't understand?

Well here goes nothing I thought as I took a deep breath, said a quick prayer and attempted to answer.

"Being born in America", I began, "no more makes you a Christian, than being born in a car factory makes you a car. "

"Christianity is different from every other religion in the world.  All other religions are DO religions. The focus is on what the person can do to make himself a "good" person and therefore acceptable to God."

"Christianity is a DONE religion.  Christians realize that there is nothing that they can do on their own to make themselves acceptable to God, but the good news is that everything that would make them acceptable has already been done by Christ.  He has done for us what we could never do for ourselves, which is  live a perfect, sinless life and die in our place to pay the penalty that God's perfect justice demands for our rebellion against Him."

"To become a Christian means we realize who God is, how holy He is,  and that we have wronged him.  We ask His forgiveness and accept the fact that Jesus paid a debt that we owe.  Then we make Jesus the boss of our lives, quit living for ourselves and live a life that would please Him.  Not to earn brownie points, but because we love Him more than anything else."

It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

 

Disciple or merely "Religious"

What is the difference between a Disciple of Christ and a "Religious Person"?

Tim Keller gives a comparison list":

RP: I obey, therefore I'm accepted.
DoC:  I'm accepted, therefore I obey.

RP: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.
DoC: Motivation is based on grateful joy.

RP: I obey God in order to get things from God.
DoC: I obey God to get to God--to delight and resemble Him.

RP: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work, or how moral I am.
DoC: My identity and self-worth are centered on the one who died for His enemies.  I am saved by sheer grace.

It is the difference between knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus.

Is it Really True?

Do you think Christmas is true?  I am not talking about Santa Claus, but do you really believe that God came to earth and was born of a virgin as the baby Jesus?  That Jesus Christ was not born from this world, but was born into this world from the outside?

Those that doubt the story have to hold the opinion that people in Mary and Joseph's day did not know where babies came from.  Now these people were not as advanced scientifically advanced as we moderns, but I doubt that they were stupid.  They certainly knew what caused pregnancy, and if Mary were pregnant, it had to be a miracle.

Here is why.  In Jewish culture, any woman who became pregnant out of wedlock was subject to the harsh penalty of being stoned to death.   This was especially true of a young woman engaged to be married.  Even the Biblical accounts say that Joseph doubted Mary in the beginning and wanted to quietly break the engagement, so as to not endanger her, but changed his mind.  Whether one believes the reason given as to why he changed his mind is irrelevant.  The fact is that he went through with the marriage which would have been unheard of in that day and time.  In my mind, this is credible evidence that yes, God did indeed step down into history and walked among us.

If we say we believe that, do we really believe that it is  really real?  If so, then what affect does it have on our lives?   That first Christmas was the most important event in the history of the world.  If we really believe that it happened,  then we should be living as transformed individuals and be about the business of transforming those around us.

A Life Worth Living

Ron Morris, a sports writer for The State newspaper, recently wrote a column about Chip Mullen, a high school football player from Hilton Head High School who scored on the final play of the final game of his high school career.

Chip has Down syndrome.  Myrtle Beach's head coach, Micky Wilson, whose team was beating Hilton Head 64-10 at the time, called a time out in order to allow Hilton Head time to set up Chip's score, a pitch out in which he ran 60 yards for the score.  Chip was mobbed by players from both teams who congratulated him on the play.

Chip's story is the story of a young man who won over both his high school community and the players and fans of opposing teams who admired his tremendous desire to overcome his disability through determination and hard work.  He is a rock star in his high school, charming everyone he meets.  "The kids have embraced him", says Amanda O'Nan, the school's principal.  "The school has embraced him.

Chip has not been tardy to a single practice, has not missed a single practice during four years of playing.  He was awarded a trophy as the "most outstanding wrestler" at a 16-team meet in Savannah, winning a match against one of Battery Creek's top wrestler, who admittedly let him win because he admired him so much.

Chip is headed to Appalachian State next year with a spot as manager on the football team, offered by coach Jerry Moore who is well aware of Chip's story.

 As I read Morris' article,  I thought about the fact that currently, couples who are pregnant, are routinely encouraged to have amniocentesis, a test to see if the baby has any abnormalities.  Those parents whose child tests positive for Down syndrome are put under tremendous pressure by their pediatricians to abort.  80% do.  All because there is this notion that there are lives that are not worthy to be lived based on someone's criteria of "quality of life".  
 
Try to sell that idea to the people who have had the joy of knowing Chip Mullen.













 

The Faith Handed Down

.............I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.--Jude 3

The title of a recent article in the Charlotte Observer was, "Americans take up designer religion".  Based on research by  George Barna, it exposes the fact that modern American Christianity has succumbed to post modern relativism.  Many people who claim to be "Christians" are picking and choosing which beliefs and practices that they will subscribe to and, in effect, making up their own religion.  "We are a designer society.  We want everything customized to our personal needs--our clothing, our food, our education," Barna said.  "Now it's our religion".

The article states: "All of the major trend lines of religious belief and behavior .... measured, ran downward--except two: More people claim they have accepted Jesus as their Savior and expect to go to heaven.  And more say they haven't been to church in the past six months except for special occasions such as weddings or funerals.  In 1991, 24 percent were "un-churched" .  Today it's 37 percent.

An example of the new "Christianity" is Carol Christoffel of Zion, Illinois who drifted through several mainline denominations, experimented with Baha'i for several years, dabbled in Native American pagan healing practices, but still identifies herself  as a Christian. 

Barna casts the blame on pastors for this contradiction.  Pastors have presented a gospel of cheap grace in which everyone is  told that Jesus is the answer to life's problems.  All one has to do is embrace Him, say a little "Sinners Prayer" and that's it, one is good to go and live life as one pleases. 

When Barna measured people by their belief system in seven essential doctrines, defined by the National Association of Evangelicals' statement of faith, only 7 percent of those surveyed qualified.  "People say, "I believe in God.  I believe the Bible is a good book.  And then I believe whatever I want", Barna says.

Just as Jude was written to exhort believers to defend the apostolic faith against the inroads of heretical teaching, 2000 years later,  modern Christians must also be vigilant to combat heresy.   To do this, we must instill in believers the ability  to defend the concept of absolute truth, the knowledge to know what they believe and why they believe it.  In other words, they must be able to apply reason to faith, for God is a God of reason.  As he says in Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, let us reason together".

To be a Christian in any meaningful sense of the word, there are certain doctrines that  a follower of Jesus Christ must believe.   Among these are the virgin birth, the deity of Christ,  the Trinity,  the atoning death of Christ on the cross and his bodily resurrection, the inerrancy of Scripture and that there is no hope of being reconciled to God except through Jesus.   These doctrines are non-negotiable and , if compromised, will certainly not result in the faith passed down for 2000 years.

I agree with Barna.  Pastors have to quit tickling the ears of their congregants and begin teaching solid theology.  Believers have to start reasoning out their faith and develop the ability to articulate their beliefs with reason and grace.  If not, we will find ourselves with churches full of Carol Christoffel's.

As Augustine said, "If you pick and choose which parts of the Gospel you believe and those parts that   you disbelieve, then it is no longer the Gospel that you believe, but yourself".  And that is the crux of the matter.  In many ways, modern Christianity as fallen for the age old allure of   man setting himself  up as the ultimate authority of what is true and what is not true.  Man wants to be his own God and that is what got us into this mess in the first place.