Can sin be systemic? The Christian Scriptures teach that sin is both a human condition & concrete action. Sin as a condition refers to the posture of the human spirit in relation to God, namely one of antagonism and total rejection of his rule. Sin as concrete action (also “sins”) are specific manifestations of sin, the condition. For example, Jesus teaches greedy actions (extortion, withholding paychecks) proceed from a heart in love with possessions. The condition of the human spirit is the source of human action.
“Systemic sin” is one way to theologically conceptualize the spread of sin from the…
Christian Nationalism is a form of theological syncretism, a blending of religion & politics. It hijacks Christian Scripture, symbolism, and imagery to promote American glory & good as ultimate. In contrast, the Christian gospel of Jesus’ kingdom announces grace for all mankind. In Christian nationalism, the nation of America becomes essential to God’s plan to bless mankind. (This will be the longest article to date, feel free to bookmark & return)
Why This Matters
Studies show most American Christians have been discipled into a form of Christian Nationalism. I believe this discipleship has occurred at the intersection of cultural norms, media consumption, and…
Walt Disney shaped the American Church because he shaped American culture. His vision of American progress in the 1960’s promised that technology would bring about the good life, less work and more leisure. The American church under the influence of this vision tends to choose the optics of progress: new facilities, new political voices, new branding, new technology and more, over the vitals of Spiritual health.
I will never forget asking some fellow American pastors what’s going on at their church. They shared a lot of progress. When I asked, “but what is Jesus doing in your city?” They fell…
“Taking America back for God” is a common rallying cry in some American Christian circles. But is God asking this of his Church in America? And what does taking America back mean? One thing I know, no where do the Scriptures show us a risen King in need of political power. He’s not asking for it. What are the keys to Washington in the hands of a King who already holds the key to eternal life?
There’s a tension here. Christians should not treat politics as trivial even though they are temporal. The good of our neighbor sometimes hangs on…
Followers of Jesus should be cautious to embrace conspiracy theories. Suspicion feeds paranoia and like Phillip Yancey says, “paranoia is faith in reverse.” What our world needs is Christians eager to share Jesus, not what “the Left/Right don’t want you to hear”.
Here are 3 questions to ask as we encounter conspiracy theories online:
Is this a conspiracy theory?
Recognition is half the battle. The dictionary defines conspiracy as a “secret plan by a group to do something unlawful”. Do conspiracies exist? Absolutely. The priests who crucified Jesus bought off the soldiers at his tomb; they spun a false narrative as an attempt to discredit…
Asking myself, what would I be doing in 1863?
How can White Christians celebrate a day like Juneteenth? We should listen, learn, lament & celebrate in solidarity with the African American community. These are good postures to assume everyday. I also believe there is a question to ask myself.
“Would the way I read my Bible in 2020 lead me to oppose & work to abolish American Slavery if I were alive in 1863?”
Why ask this question? It admits reading the Bible doesn’t mean I’m obeying Jesus. For example, white Christians before & during the Civil War defended owning human beings with Bible verses. Most importantly, the question…
Being Christian Before Being American
My ancestor, William Stacy, fought in the Revolutionary War. Legend holds he tore up his British commission papers in the town square & organized a militia. Grateful as I am for this incredible heritage alongside the pride it gives me, I cannot deny that American Christianity grows more patriotic when it should grow more prophetic.
Patriotism is not wrong or pointless, only that “a man cannot serve two masters.” (Matthew 6.24) If our love for America forces Jesus to serve a party, it’s not Jesus we worship and His truth is compromised. Love for Jesus leads us to see America…
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Theologian & Pastor
About Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) was a German pastor during World War II. He founded the Confessing Church, & resisted National Socialism’s religious policies. Bonhoeffer was executed for treasonous activity by the Third Reich a month before war ended.
“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” — Cost of Discipleship
“Do and dare what is right, not swayed by the whim of the moment. Make up your mind and come out into the tempest of living. God’s command is enough and your faith in him to sustain you.” — Ethics
“It may be that the day of judgement…
Facing the worst in ourselves with the grace of God
Lockdown is a nightmare for addiction. Imagine all the ingredients that foster an addiction — boredom, access, & isolation — coming together for an undetermined period of time. This is the reality many are facing. Maybe it’s someone you know, or maybe that someone is you.
What hope does Jesus offer when it seems you can’t stop watching porn, can’t stop taking that drink, can’t stop eating, can’t stop purging, can’t stop cutting, or scrolling?
Jesus offers freedom, and the faith to believe it’s possible.
Jesus never used shame to bring people home.
Shame is a pervasive sense of unworthiness, even self-hatred. But Jesus never once used someone’s shame to bring them home, even the tyrant tax collector…
A Word to the Class of 2020
You’ve been looking forward to May 2020 for the last 4 years, maybe even longer. The script you were given for these last four years didn’t call for this scene. At all. Now what?
Nobody really likes a cliffhanger. The Empire Strikes Back needs Return of the Jedi. There must be an Endgame.
Here you are at cliffhanger instead of a ceremony. It may seem like you’re off-script, but you’re really not. God sees life the way it is. His Scriptures have pages full of grit, pain, and tragedy from life on this planet.
So believe me when I tell…
