Daily devotions are back!!!
I’ve been wanting to start them for weeks (but it’s been too, too busy and crazy.) But with the violence in Charlotte last night … it’s time. (Note: These are my first musings. Kind of a first draft as my heart grieves for our city, our police officers, and an African-American community that feels so disenfranchised.)
· Daily devotional group – sorry, you may be getting this a second time as I sent it to all our members.
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The Apostle Paul said to
the people of Athens,
“What you worship as unknown,
I proclaim to you as known”
Acts 17:23
Charlotte made headlines this morning -- sad headlines. A black man was shot and killed by a black police officer … and last night our city was filled with violence.
In case you haven't noticed, these United States are not truly united.
To say that, we must admit that our nation was never perfect or perfectly united, and yet many of us remember a time when life in these United States seemed more cohesive. What's going on? And how do we respond?
First, we must acknowledge that there are major divisions in our nation. Some of these are racial. Some are cultural -- we are an increasingly diverse mix of ethnicities and belief systems. Yet, the most obvious division among us is economic … and it is our minorities who are disproportionally poor and are increasingly frustrated with the systemic forces that may seem rigged to keep them poor (enslaved).
Politically our parties on the left and the right have different "answers" to "pulling the poor out of poverty." But the solution to our current divisions isn't political. Indeed, our economics have been bad -- and getting worse -- under a successive series of “red” and “blue” congresses, Presidents, and politicians.
So where is our hope?
You and I know the answer ... but a quick history lesson is needed to understand why our nation doesn't seem to be listening the voice of hope anymore.
First, America is not a Christian nation. If we ever were is debatable, but we are now multicultural ... and increasingly so.
Yes, what we call "America" has always been multicultural ... and yet it was not very diverse. Even when waves of immigrants were flooding Ellis Island, our dominant culture maintained a Western, European, and thus predominantly Christian ethos. (Indeed for a century or two the vast majority of our immigrants came from -- "Christianized Europe” or culture that had been Christianized by Europeans.)
Did our common allegiance to Christian principles unite us to something bigger than the our ethnic differences?
Absolutely!
But please understand that I'm not celebrating Cultural-Christianity. Linking culture and faith has watered down Christianity and weakened the testimony of the true church. Nevertheless, it did, for most of the twentieth century, produce a sense unity in our country based on this common Christian ethos.
Even America's dominant minority population -- African-Americans -- shared this Christian faith. (In fact, in the first decades of the twentieth century, our African-American communities arguably contained the most vibrant expressions of true Christianity in America. You can witness this in the power of the principals that Martin Luther King, Jr.., used to call America back to the scriptural truths of unity and equality. You can also witness this in the choice of Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer – as a temporary refugee from the Nazis in Germany in the 1930s -- to worship primarily at black churches in Harlem ... because it was the only place he found true vibrancy in Christ in America.)
But here's the point: America's dominant majority culture and America's dominant minority culture both had something bigger than race or ethnicity to unite them. And that was Jesus Christ … however perfectly or imperfectly he was proclaimed.
That's not true anymore. Recent immigration trends are from much more diverse cultures – cultures which don't share the historic Christian ethos. Please understand that I don't say that in a negative way, just factual. America is indeed increasingly racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse.
But it’s bigger than that.
The divisions in America that are ultimately keeping people apart are philosophical. We are divided in how we think. We are separated by what we believe. We are at odds over how to perceive reality – if there is such a thing as “truth” and “reality.”
Secularism is now America's dominant "religion.”
One of the core principals of secularism is that there is no objective "truth" Have you heard it’s prominent refrain – "What is true for you is true for you. And what is true for me is true for me"? With this open-minded perspective makes it easy to celebrate the differences between people, race, ethnicities and cultures. And that’s a very good thing! But a philosophy of “whatever” is a very hard way to forge any kind of cohesive national identity.
Indeed, “whatever” makes it hard to craft any kind of meaningful unity ... other than "don't judge" and "be nice."
Now "don't judge" and "be nice" certainly sound very pleasant and proper. But what happens when real sin raises its head – and it inevitably will in a broken world? If our operating principles are "don't judge" and "be quiet because that’s the way to be nice," then a secular society will inevitably sink to the levels of the lowest common denominator (like “be nice”).
We see it all around us. And our children are the first pawns of the lowest common denominator of secularization. Think about it: Their parents have been taught by a secular society that self-expression is the highest value (and “don’t judge” a person’s self-expression). Nevertheless, the selfish pursuits of selfish adults have been a major contributing factor to divorce, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and single family homes.
Now, there’s obviously a lot of heroic single moms out there. They are doing a terrific job in hard circumstances, and we celebrate those individuals. But we need to start thinking systemically (discerning) – not individually (just being nice) – because across our nation single family homes are a major contributing force behind poverty (and our children are the pawns). And what is poverty tied to? It is heavily correlated with drug use, violence, crime, declining education, and generational cycles of more and more poverty. This is self-actualization and secularization taken to its logical conclusion. And that’s the society we live in.
We could trace a similar path with racial divisions. We were once encouraged to judge people not on the color of their skin, but on the content of their character. Character is the highest common denominator. But now we are taught to not “judge.” And the result is that we don’t “discern.” And it’s tragically ironic: In an age when most people are increasingly accepting of diversity, we’re increasingly segregated (and increasingly self-segregating) by the lowest common denominators – differences like the color of our skin.
Why?
Why are we increasingly divided? Why is there increasing violence in places like the Queen City? Why? Because there’s nothing that unites us anymore … other than “be nice.”
And so yesterday, something happened that was “not nice” – there was a shooting in Charlotte. It was followed by violent protests.
What can we do? Here are list of suggestions …
1. Know the truth. Most Americans, even good Christians, are intellectually lazy. “I’m tired.” “It’s complicated.” Well, it’s time we wake up and realize that we’re living in a different world. And that’s a good thing – as the next point will say – but we can’t engage (or help save) the world if we’re ignorant of what’s really going on.
2. Embrace this different era as part of the adventure. We’re not going to have 1950s America or Christianity ever again. And that’s a good thing! Cultural Christian watered down the faith. It’s time to boldly become first century Christians again – a dramatic minority in diverse, crass, and carnal cities like Ephesus. It was exciting to cling to God’s truth (and hope and light) in a culture of perverse darkness. And they transformed the world … by being known by their love. That’s what transformed first century culture … and world history.
3. Don’t judge. Wait! I’m not talking about secularism’s use of this phrase. We must discern. But don’t lead with what separates us. (That sounds judgmental.) Lead with what unites us. Be, for example, like Paul in Athens. He started with the highest common denominator. Talking about walking around their city and viewing their statues – which were dedicated to about a thousand different gods and goddesses – he said, “People of Athens, I see how extremely religious you are.” Acts 17:22 In our world today, most secular people, though not very religious, have very high ideals. Start there! But keep looking for the opening to proclaim the reconciling truth in Jesus Christ. Paul did it like this, telling them that he saw a statue dedicated to an “unknown god,” and he said, “What you worship as unknown, I proclaim to you as known,” Acts 17:23 and he proceeded to testify to the God of truth.
4. Be nice. Wait! Again I’m not talking about secularism’s use of the phrase, but let love be what defines you!
5. Reach out to those around you who are different – perhaps especially the African-American community (and to the Hispanic community too, as this election might create deeper divisions) (and to the Muslim community if you know any Middle Eastern folk). Your first job isn’t evangelism; it’s friendship! Be nice!
You are a missionary. And nowadays, you don’t have to go half-way around the world to find a different culture. All you have to do step out your door and walk across the street.
We have too many divisions in our culture. We need to start walking across the street or walking across the office and joyfully engaging those who are different than us.
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who was shocked
by this morning’s headlines
… but wasn’t really shocked at all
(But a guy who wants to shock
the world, instead, with our love)
