How To Be A Christian Without Being A Jerk

Faith in real life

Category Archives: commentary

why you get irritated everytime you read or watch the news

June 18th, 2009

In his new book, Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge, Dallas Willard exposes the loss of logical and reasonable discourse to inform public decision-making. Seeking knowledge and making informed decisions based on that knowledge is absent. What has replaced knowledge is advocacy. Is something “good,” “right,” or “reasonable?” This doesn’t even enter the conversation anymore. Using political and legal means is the methodology of the day. I don’t join with you to seek knowledge about issues from same-sex marriage to human cloning; I advocate my position using whatever political and legal clout I can muster.

This is not how Christianity functions. We seek the truth at all possible cost, with courage and consideration. We are created by God to do this and advocacy is an inferior means to come to an understanding of what is right and good and true. This is why voting on an issue or considering if it is legal ultimately has nothing to do with knowledge. The popularity or the legality of something is advocacy pure and simple.

Posted via web from how to be a christian without being a jerk!

why making excuses is easier than facing the truth

June 16th, 2009

It had to happen. It is inevitable. The unemployment rate is really high and so automatically they must be not have jobs and they are rioting because of frustration.

It’s the alcohol that is to blame.When you mix young men and booze you will get rioting.

Yes, the Los Angeles Lakers won the championship. But, before they did, I heard these familiar explanations being given for the rioting that was sure to come if the Lakers win Sunday night. People mentioned the economy and drinking most frequently as the reason we were going to see young men in Laker jerseys tearing up the streets of LA.

Yes, let’s make excuses. Why not throw in the fact that the judgment center of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, is not completed until arond the age of 26? Why not assume that most of those young men you saw rioting come from a really challenging upbringing?

OR…

Maybe it has nothing to do with the economy. First of all, why would I assume the young men who rioted don’t have jobs? Second, why would I assume that being unemployed results in violent and destructive behavior? Are there unemployed young men in our society who don’t throw bricks through bus windows?

Maybe it has nothing to do with alcohol. Was every one of those guys drunk? Not likely. And even if they were, are you saying that when young men are drunk it automatically results in violent and destructive behavior? Are there intoxicated young men in our society who don’t start cars on fire?

No it’s not the ecomomy, alcohol, upbringing, or even the incompleted prefrontal cortex. What we saw Sunday night (actually we got a preview Thursday night, even before the Lakers clinched the title!) is not hard to understand. We saw young men who lack integrity and character. Young men who are absolutely responsible for their own attitudes and actions just like any other young man in the world, and these guys simply failed miserably.

Posted via web from how to be a christian without being a jerk!

5 things you never heard Jesus say, but Christians say all the time…

June 9th, 2009

To live your life like Jesus would live it if he were you in any situation is not some kind of great mystery. How to lead like Jesus and how to follow leaders are also not secrets. The teachings of Jesus and how he lives his life are the basis for how we are called to follow and lead. However, this is not always the basis of our decisionmaking as Christians. We add a lot of stuff because we have other influences.

There are common things that happen in churches today that are absent from anything Jesus ever taught or did. Things like democracy (voting on what God is calling you to do), assertiveness and verbal manipulation (the one who is most aggressive gets their way), or doing things based on church member’s desires (I wonder if they will like this or not?).

With Jesus and his disciples, and with the disciples the disciples would lead, and so on, there is never a vote. Assertiveness and aggressiveness don’t work when seeking the truth.  And at no time do Jesus and the leaders worry whether their followers are going to like something or not. With this in mind, let’s look at things Christians say that Jesus didn’t.

5 things you never heard Jesus say:

  1. “What do you guys think we should do?”

    Leaders lead. God gives his vision to leaders. Christian leaders place themselves in situations where they learn from Jesus, discern his vision, have mentors to guide them, and share the vision. Those who are receptive share in the vision. The leader trains disciples who are receptive and they lead and train others who are receptive. This is how the Kingdom work expands.

    Vision is not voted on and it is not reached by consensus. Vision is received and shared.

  2. “That wasn’t very Christian of you.”

    “Christian” is not an adjective. There is no such thing as “Christian” behavior. Usually what is meant when someone says this is they assume “Christian” means, “You can do whatever you want and I will encourage you,” or “You are always right.” When someone says someone else is not acting “Christian,” chances are they misunderstand what it actually means to be, well, a Christian.

  3. “I am really studying the Bible a lot” (or “I am really praying a lot.”)

    Bible study and prayer are key elements of living life like Jesus lives it. They are essential to a life of growth and health as disciples of Jesus. It’s just that these actual activities are not what is important. It is what happens as a result of your studying and praying. How you apply what you learn and hear from God is what is important. Your life and the life of those around you is being transformed. You don’t have to tell me you are studying and praying a lot because it will be clear enough in how you are living and influencing others as a result.

  4. “I really liked worship today.”

    Whether we enjoyed worship or not isn’t the issue. Worship isn’t about us. Worship is about God. The spirit of worship comes from God and God is the recipient of our thanks and praise.

    If I “enjoyed” worship; fine. If “I didn’t get anything out of” worship; that’s nice.  Worship is about God and not about me in the first place.


  5. “I give my time rather than my money.”

    We are all called to live out our lives as disciples of Jesus in everything we do. When I live my life to be an influence for Jesus in everything I do, than all my time is God’s time.

    Jesus also calls on me to give my money generously to fund his mission and care for the needs of others. Giving offering doesn’t take the place of spending my life serving, and serving doesn’t take the place of giving generously of my finances. It all belongs to God, anyway.

Posted via web from how to be a christian without being a jerk!

when you call someone a “creationist” you don’t really mean that and you know it

June 3rd, 2009

The strongest astronomical evidence to date suggests the creation of the universe is 13.7 billion years ago. I accept this as logical evidence. I also accept that God created the universe and all that exists "seen and unseen." This means I believe God is the creator, or if you will, I am a "creationist."

There are people of faith who think differently. They think the universe is only 6-10 thousand years old, and everything that exists was created in 6, 24-hour days. We respectfully disagree, but we are both "creationists."

When someone thinks that there is a God who created the universe and all that exists, that person is a "creationist." So, the next time you see someone putting me into the same category as a brother or sister who follows a 6-10 thousand years old creation, without making the distinction that they are specifically a "new earth creationist" or "6-day creationist," then you know the author or speaker is being disingenuous. Whether it is a federal judge ruling on Intelligent Design, a science magazine (check out the appalling bigotry of the title of this article from a well-respected science magazine!) or a newscaster, they are purposely giving a false impression of what is meant in order to further their agenda.

Posted via email from how to be a christian without being a jerk!

“hate” crime is an illogical concept

June 2nd, 2009

Just to be clear: With the concept of “hate crime” you have left the realm of objective reality. “Hate” is an emotional state. There is no objective way to measure an emotion. At best, it is a process of sef-identification. Also, evolutionary behaviorists connect emotional states to genetic and physiological processes. With this in mind, try to make objective legal sense out of “hate” crime. You can’t. Consider these examples.

I assault you, but I have psychotic tendencies and my emotional state is neutral. I have no “hatred” whatsoever.

If my hatred is a product of genetic or physiological processes, then to “blame” me for “hate” crime would be like blaming me for having blue eyes.

If I am married to someone of a different race, and I verbally abuse him/her, can I be charged with “hate” crime?

What if I lash out at someone who shares the same religion as me, but is a member of a different denomination? Could a Presbyterian be charged with a “hate” crime because the victim was Methodist?

What if I lost my temper with someone who is a different race, but I spoke against him/her because he/she was a jerk, and it had nothing to do with race?

Posted via web from how to be a christian without being a jerk!

How To Be A Christian Without Being A Jerk

Faith in real life