Politics and Dangerous Assumptions

Presuppositions can be dangerous.  We all have them, they’re the foundational ideas that we hold, often without even being aware of them, that underpin our beliefs and belief systems.  There is a presupposition that was once assumed in the American political landscape, even if our nation didn’t always live up to its lofty ideal, yet now it is being directly challenged.  You ought, I hope, to recognize this presupposition, it is after all something we hold to be self-evident: all men are created equal.  The belief in the equality of humanity is directly connected to the belief in God who created mankind.  Because God made us all, we must therefore be equal.  How could any race or nation be valued more, and more importantly, how could any be valued less, if all were alike created by God?  And yet, this idea is under assault in the political discourse today.  It isn’t being directly stated as such, but the assumption that American lives are worth more than non-American lives underpins many of the issues as they are being discussed today, from refugees and immigration, to trade agreements and foreign policy.  It may seem natural for an American politician to value American lives more, after all a Roman politician would have valued the lives of Roman citizens far above those of non-citizens, let alone the “barbarians” beyond the Empire’s borders, but if those same politicians are claiming to be themselves Christians, and are claiming to represent Christians, it must be pointed out that their belief system is built upon an idea that is anti-Christian.  The idea that God’s people don’t have to care about the lives of Syrians, Mexicans, the Chinese, Muslims, or any other group, is a grave insult to the cross upon which Christ died to offer salvation to the world.  That some of those being labeled in political discourse as the “them” that “we” don’t have to care about (and can even hate), are in fact our fellow Christian brothers and sisters, is a grave sin.  If those claiming the name of Christ don’t have love for their fellow Christians, how can the love of God be in them? (I John 3:16-17) Likewise, those of the “other” who are not Christians fall into the second category of people, for in the Christian mind there can be only two, the Redeemed and the Lost.  How should we treat the Lost?  If we treat them with disdain, if we dismiss them, revile them, hate them, how can we possibly share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them?

Are you a Christian?  Do you care about those living in abject poverty around the world, or is American prosperity more important to you than their suffering?  Do you care about the rights of people who don’t look or think like you?  If you let a politician sell you on the idea that you must choose “us” over “them”, you are walking away from the call of the Son of God to share the love of God.  Politicians love to have villains, it is an age old tactic to make the foreigner the enemy, but it is not, nor can it be, a Christian one, for it was our king who said, “Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you”, and “take up your cross and follow me.”  There isn’t any room near the cross for the politics of division and hatred.

Sermon Video: Ruth approaches Boaz - Ruth 3:1-18

As the story of Ruth continues in this fourth part of five, Ruth embarks upon a seemingly bold plan given to her by her mother-in-law Naomi to confront Boaz with his status as a kinsman-redeemer and prompt him to make a decision about marrying Ruth.  The plan, though seemingly very odd in our minds, works as Boaz agrees to marry Ruth, a decision he arrives at quickly once he realizes that Ruth is even interested in an older man like him.  Throughout this process, Boaz has shown himself to be above reproach.  We have already seen his kindness in action, in this episode he displays the fortitude that resists sexual temptation, as well as the honesty that resists taking the easy way out (he informs Ruth of the closer kinsman-redeemer).  Boaz is not willing to falsely elevate the pursuit of happiness above the maintenance of righteousness, a character trait we all ought to imitate.  It is possible for God's people to live according to righteousness, in the small things and the big things, by grace; Boaz is proof enough of that.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Is he a Christian? Are you?

Much has been made of late about whether or not someone who claims to be a Christian can be taken at his/her word as such.  Pope Francis even weighed in on this important issue, declaring that an attitude of wall building instead of the extending of love cannot reside in the mind of a Christian.  The Bible says much on this topic, from Jesus declaring that "all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35) and also, "If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit." (John 15:5)  The question of who really belongs to the Church became important even in that first generation of believers, as evidenced by the primary focus on that question of the apostle John's first letter.  I John contains a threefold test of true Christian faith: (1) Belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, (2) obedience to the commands of God, (3) and lastly, display of Christian brotherly love.  In essence, John is simply repeating the instructions of Jesus himself and adding to it the need to believe in Jesus (which Jesus was assuming by addressing his comments to his disciples, men who had already chosen to follow him).
Where does this leave us, then, when faced with someone who claims to be a Christian yet shows little or no evidence of spiritual growth in terms of obeying the commands of God by avoiding sin and seeking righteousness, nor much evidence of love, first for fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and then for the Lost whom the Gospel obligates us to pursue with God's love?  If the evidence is lacking, and it ought to be clear enough to leave no doubt because we're talking about the overall direction of a life, not simply one or two moments, then the evidence is indeed lacking.  Without evidence of Christian faith, without fruit of the Spirit, we dare not assume that anyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ is actually a Christian.
Let me put this another way: If there is not clear evidence that the old self, the sin nature, has been crucified with Christ, that the Holy Spirit has brought about a baptism of new birth, and that the person in question is now living as a new creation, then it is foolish to believe that Christ dwells within that individual.  This is not an invitation to be judgmental, nor is it any sort of works-salvation; we are absolutely and without any hesitation saved by grace alone through faith alone, but it is a reminder that we're trying to determine if someone has been transformed by the Spirit of God.  This is not something that can happen without making a difference in your life or mine, it will cause change, for the better, from the old focus on self to the new focus on selflessness.
If there is no evidence Christ-like attitudes and behaviors, then there is no Christian, its as simple as that.  Is he a Christian?  Don't tell me what he says, what does he do?  Are you a Christian, don't tell me what you think you are, how are you living your life?  For those who have been washed clean by the blood of the Lamb, there is never really any doubt, they belong to him, they've taken up their own cross and chosen to follow their savior.

If you want to delve deeper into this topic, I wrote a book about I John's perspective on the question of who is, and who is not, a Christian; it's called Christianity's Big Tent and can be accessed via that link or by going to the page at the top of this website where all of my written materials are located.

Sermon Video: Boaz notices Ruth - Ruth 2:8-23

In this third message, of five, from Ruth, we find Boaz conversing with Ruth after he takes notice of her hard at work gleaning in his fields.  Boaz offers Ruth multiple, small, and ongoing kindnesses in response, he says, for her devotion to her mother-in-law Naomi, the widow of his kin Elimelech.  Ruth responds to these offers of help with humble gratitude, prompting even more steps taken by Boaz to help Ruth (and Naomi) in their time of need.
When Ruth returns home at the end of the day, with much more food than expected, Naomi is awakened from her depression and bitterness that had engulfed her since the death of her husband and sons by the kindness shown to Ruth and herself by a seemingly random neighbor who turns out to be Boaz, a kinsman-redeemer of Elimelech's estate.  Whether or not Boaz will be willing to fulfill his legal obligation under the laws of the kinsman-redeemer remains to be seen, but Naomi at least has begun once again to hope.
The kindnesses offered by Boaz were not, in and of themselves, all that costly to him, nor was he legally obligated to give any of them.  And yet, as a man of God, a man of character, Boaz chooses to go beyond the letter of the law to fulfill the spirit of the law; Boaz chooses to live by grace.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Naomi's bitterness and Ruth's hard work - Ruth 1:19-2:7

In this second message from Ruth, of five, we see the full impact of the sorrow from Naomi's loss of her husband and two sons reflected in her statements of bitterness directed at "the Almighty" whom she holds responsible for her losses.  Naomi does not hide her true feelings, or pretend that she's fine with what the will of God has done in her life, no, Naomi is honest, and that honesty at this point in her life equals disappointment with God.
Ruth, meanwhile, sets about looking for a solution to the desperate circumstances facing herself and her mother-in-law as widows by participating in the process that the Law of Moses sets forth to help the poor: gleaning.  Ruth follows behind the harvesters in the fields, working hard, hoping to gather enough grain to feed herself and Naomi.  The hard work of Ruth draws the attention of the owner of the field, Boaz, a relative of her late father-in-law Elimelech, whose field, "as it turned out" she ended up working in.
While Naomi struggles with her bitterness, and Ruth begins working to try to survive, the hand of God is already at work, molding plans for Ruth and Naomi that include far more than just surviving.

To watch the video, click on the link below: