The Emporer isn't wearing any clothes

People are leaving the church in droves, They see through the emptiness of Evangelical theology. Secular scholars have asked tough questions; to which the church has responded with insufficient answers.  

"Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died"
(Leonard Cohen: Everybody Knows)

Evangelicalism hasn't offered us tools to navigate, or see through the fog. It has instead based it's faith on a dead book, rather than a living God. This is my attempt to write a meaningful confession in a day when all sides from catholic, to reformed, to emergent have all missed the central point... Christianity has left Jesus somewhere along the road of the last two thousand years, but we better keep going for the sake of keeping going...

Homosexuality

I have a dear friend whom I haven't seen in a long time, who I asked to check out my blog. It got me thinking however, because my friend is gay. I haven't really addressed that issue here. I know the litmus test for being a Christian these days is "Do you believe Homosexuality is a Sin," but that's a bit like asking a color blind man if purple is red.

Many point to 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 as direct evidence of God's hatred of homosexuality;

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

Maybe however the question is wrong headed. We ask these questions to shift the focus on to the perceived failings of others. Consider who else will not enter the kingdom of heaven: a report by the World Institute for Development Economics Research of the United Nations University,  in 2000 indicated that the United States accounted for only 4.7 percent of the world’s population but 32.6 percent of the world’s wealth. (Eduardo Porter, Study Finds Wealth Inequality Is Widening Worldwide, December 6, 2006) This is while the number of people living on less than $2 a day is now over 3 billion worldwide.

Jesus said: "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And; "woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full."

But "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you as well." and again; "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"  for "the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful."

Which of course leaves the Church in America as lost as any, Pharisee and Hypocrite, piling burdens on the backs of men, that we ourselves are unwilling to bear.

Somewhere...

A man lies dying on the side of the road. Those who pass initially refuse to help because, well they might get sued if they touch him. Then others raise the point that he may not have health insurance, so who would pay for his trauma care, that’s expensive you know. People need to be responsible for themselves, this man obviously brought this calamity upon himself.

A family is homeless, they have no money, no job. It’s obvious to some that they are just too lazy to work two minimum wage jobs each to pay the bills. Others object that these people expect that the world owes them a living, everyone who is broke is that way because they are trying to live off the system. Some look with disdain and say "I've worked hard for everything I have."

Another family is going to lose their house. It’s obvious to some that they were irresponsible, they bought too much house for what they could afford, serves them right.

A man is in jail, he committed a brutal crime. It’s obvious to many that he deserves to die. Surely the state should not pay for his upkeep, it costs much less to execute inmates, we should all live in Texas.

Another family is here illegally. It’s obvious to some that they are stealing our jobs, working for dirt wages, living in poverty, we should send them all back, all twelve million. Lets pass a law allowing us to harass anyone with dark skin and requiring everyone to carry their “papers”

Finally Jesus says “Love your neighbor as your self”

And the people respond “Isn’t that socialism?”

"That will cost money." says another

And thus the church in America forsakes the first and greatest commandment; for you cannot love both God and Mammon.

The Church was never intended to be an instrument of “saving souls”, The kingdom of God is to be the embodiment of Christ, it is to live the very life of Christ, to live just as Jesus did, for all the world to see. A soul is saved when that person becomes a disciple of Jesus, living as he did, who did not assert his rights, but humbled himself even to the point of death. When the Bible speaks of persecutions, this is not for preaching, but for living selflessly. A Christian will be taken advantage of, A Christian will be mistreated, A Christian will be criticized for his lack of fiscal responsibility, A Christian will be poor.

I don’t know many Christians.