Going with family on a little trip. No blog until January 1. Have a happy new year!

When someone says to me, “I am a Christian, I just don’t go to church,” I know there is one reason given more than any other. “I was forced to go to church when I was younger.” So, what does this mean?

Obviously, it means the person didn’t like church. I don’t think you will hear one of our children saying someday, for instance, “I don’t go to Disneyland because I was forced to go there when I was a child.” The church experience wasn’t a positive one if people say they were forced to go. Well, as an adult, you can actually go wherever you want. It’s not as if an experience with the Christian community is limited to what you remember years ago as a child. Church experiences can be quite different.

By the way, don’t too quickly buy into parents “forcing” their children to go to church as a bad thing. Being an active Christian is an extremely healthy lifestyle. Active Christians statistically have much better mental and physical health than people of no active faith life. I will say, however, that if parents attend a church which is not “youth-friendly,” then they are doing their children a great disservice, by “forcing” them to go there rather than taking them to a church that loves kids. This can make a big difference in the future.

I posted earlier about Christmas in the public arena. Let me give an observation that I think is important to note in general. It has to do with issues of faith and values and demographics.

Philip Jenkins in the book, The Next Christianity, speaks of the rapid explosion of Christian faith in the global east and south. The immigrant population coming to America is mainly from these areas. As a result, most immigrants today are Christian. This trend will continue. The types of Christianity most represented in these immigrant groups are traditional Roman Catholic and Pentecostal-influenced Protestant. These groups tend to be quite “traditional” in their morals and values. Joined with existing Americans from these areas, as well as a “traditional,” in many ways, African-American population, America is likely to look far different than many would predict. Obviously, there are large exceptions to cultural generalizations, but I would predict that now and in the years ahead, let’s just say I would be shocked if our nation is leaning left anytime soon.

What does this have to do with Christmas in the public arena? I will give you powerful, yet totally subjective and anecdotal evidence that something is afoot. Shopping and getting the typical “Happy Holidays” from employees is the norm this time of year. Except if your store clerk is Latino/a, Asian, or African-American, which he/she is in many cases in my community. Then you are just as likely to hear, “Merry Christmas.” I can’t think of a time I heard that phrase more often. Interesting development…

Living in earthquake country, whenever I hear of one occurring somewhere else, I take notice. But, when the earthquake is followed by tidal waves, or tsunamis, as they are called, the notice is followed by amazement. I have been through a big earthquake, but waves traveling at 500 miles an hour? I can’t even imagine.

My prayers go out for the families and loved ones of so many; 23000+ at my last check. The devastation of 20 foot walls of water is pronounced. In the days ahead there will be many questions. First among them will be why?

Why did so many die? Most of the death occurred on islands and low-lying coast land. Also, tsunamis are so rare in the Indian Ocean that, unlike other areas of the world, there was no early warning system. Many of the dead were clad in swim suits. There is another why question whenever there is a natural disaster of such magnitude. Why did God do this?

Consider two points. First, only people who live in these kind of island and coastal areas, or are visiting, are going to be affected by tsunamis. We know where we live has an impact of our risk level of certain disasters. Hurricanes in Florida, earthquakes in my backyard; we know what is possible and are willing to take the risk. Humans choose to live where they are susceptible. It’s not a God thing where we settle.

Second, why tsunamis in the first place? Factually, earthquakes and tsunamis are essential to “stir” up nutrients in the world’s oceans. Without them, we would not be here. This is no solace for those who have been so devastated, but without natural “disasters,” advanced life would not be possible on earth.

So, what does this all mean? I don’t know about tsunamis. I don’t know why God designed earth’s life enhancing systems in such a way. I only know that one way or another we all face personal “tsunamis” in our lives. Devastating, unexpected disasters come calling as part of the human condition. And I do know something else.

I know that when I have been wiped out, it was holding on to Jesus that got me through. Jesus was able to bring new life in the midst of the pain. And I know another thing. The earth is not my home. My home is the kingdom of God where I live now, and will live face-to-face with Jesus forever, some day. Martin Luther said it in the old hymn, A Mighty Fortress,

Let goods and kindred go,

This mortal life also.

The body they may kill;

God’s truth abideth still.

His kingdom is forever.

I don’t have anywhere else to go. I’ll stick with Jesus.

What will Christmas look like in the years ahead? In the Church, the birth of Jesus will be celebrated as always. The traditions of Christmas are secure. For many Christians, Christmas carols are our children’s connection to our faith and the faith of the generations before. How?

The vast majority of churches in America where there are actually children present have contemporary worship. Many children grow up not knowing the hymns sung in prior generations. My children fit into this category. They know the praise choruses and modern Christian songs. They don’t know too many hymns.

Now, don’t get too excited about this fact. God says repeatedly in the Bible, “Sing a new song.” I would take the discipleship exhibited by my children and their peers where I worship and match it with any prior generation. They walk the walk, more than ever, in a “strange land,” shall we say.

At the same time, there are signs that hymns are coming back again. In new arrangements. The old hymns are so ancient that now they are becoming “hip” with modern church worship leaders. In the next decade, I won’t be shocked if we are doing a little revisiting of our hymnody. But in the meantime, it is carols that connect the generations. These songs have a lasting power like no other. Why is that?

Composer Ralph Vaughan Williams put it this way:

The carol is so popular because it gives voice to the common emotions of healthy people in language that can be shared by all.



I agree. Music is such a personal taste, but carols transcend the genres. They never seem to get old. And another thing-

we only sing them for a month.

Merry Christmas. Well, today is the day. We have finally reached Christmas Eve and I would like to pause and do some inventory. You have undoubtedly had occasion to see the various attempts to bring Christmas into the public arena or keep it out. I will make comments on both points of view.

Keep Christmas out. Honoring Jesus through songs or specific decorations that depict him or use his name, well, I can understand where non-Christians might object. This is simply not a God they believe in and so why are they paying tax dollars to honor him? I have to admit it warmed my heart that my daughter’s public high school choir sang all three verses of Silent Night at the holiday concert, but I can also understand how it might seem rather unfair to the practicing Muslim student who wants to sing in choir, but who is forbidden to commit blasphemy according to the Qur’an and sing those words (“Jesus, Lord at thy birth,” etc.) Now I realize the Muslim could just choose not to participate in that song, but it does cause one to wonder why he/she should be put into that predicament in the first place.

Keep Christmas in. Christmas is a part of our cultural landscape and is not only a celebration of the birth of Christ. The vast (80-85%) majority of our citizens do, however, celebrate this birth. It is a noble part of our heritage. Non-Christians would do well to give their fellow citizens a pass, honoring their fellow citizen’s faith as they are proclaiming peace and goodwill, while not having to honor their Savior. Besides, the birth of one who brought cherished teachings, some of which are universally admired (“pray for your enemies, blessed are the peacemakers…”), can be acknowledged and honored, even if you don’t believe Jesus is God. After all, we honor a preacher of that faith, Martin Luther King Jr., quite extensively in the public arena. Ultimately, America is a bastion of tremendous freedom of religion, almost unprecedented in the world community, and it is not logical to think now Christians are somehow attempting to force religion onto non-Christians.

So, what’s the answer? Legally, Christmas symbolism set up by school staff is allowed in our schools as a teaching tool (Supreme Court, 1998). I think teachers who use the symbols as such are being reasonable. At the same time, I don’t think government employees ought to try to actively promote the Christian faith on public time at public expense, whether in our schools or other government institutions. Christians can do this quite well on our own, thank you very much. Christian students are allowed to reach out in school. Christian teachers are allowed to examine Christianity in class, along with other worldviews. Christian government employees are allowed to share their faith privately at work.

In summary, I think all sides of this debate need to take a time out and look at these issues from the viewpoint of those they disagree with. We can keep Christ in Christmas and respect those who don’t acknowledge him as Christ, in a reasonable, moderate fashion.

I am posting about reaching out to potential Christians with the good news of Jesus. Christians call this “witnessing.” Yesterday I posted about what I can do as a Christian to fulfill my role of witness. Now I will look at what I can’t do.

I can’t force you to believe anything. Your faith in Jesus will come to you through the Holy Spirit as a gift. There is nothing you can do to earn Jesus’ love and there is nothing I can do to force you to receive it. In fact, there is nothing Jesus can do to force you to receive it.

I can’t shove my religion down your throat. When I am sharing about Jesus, I am commanded to be gentle and respectful (1 Peter 3:16). If you have had a bad experience with a Christian who was being aggressive and obnoxious, in other words was not following Jesus, than that is too bad. First, a central teaching of Christianity is all people, including Christians who know better, are sinful and in need of forgiveness. If you meet a belligerent Christian you see why there is a need for Christ. Second, don’t be too quick to dismiss the Christian faith because of the behavior of someone who calls himself/ herself a Christian. That is a huge dose of the genetic fallacy in logic. Remember? “First you must show that a man is wrong before you give reasons why.” Jesus can still be God and the Bible can still accurately tell his story even if you meet an obnoxious Christian.

I can’t try to hide the truth. Unlike many other worldviews, Christianity encourages you to put Jesus to the test. Be skeptical. Compare Christianity to other religions and philosophies. Christians are encouraged to do this. Some other worldviews try to keep the Christian message out. Some countries where Islam is the official religion, for example, will not allow Christian teaching, or even Bibles to be read. If Christianity is false, than what is there to be afraid of? You won’t find this with Christianity. We are encouraged to study other worldviews carefully. This helps us when we witness to the non-Christian. If you think Christians try to suppress open-minded thinking, it is just the total opposite. We worship the God who created the mind. I don’t discount that you may have experienced Christians who you thought were “closed- minded.” See the paragraph above for an explanation. Another explanation might be when you call someone “close-minded” what you are really saying is he/she doesn’t agree with you.

As I alluded yesterday, my primary goal in life is to grow as a disciple of Jesus. A central role of a disciple is witnessing to Jesus. I want you to trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. I want you to be a disciple, too. Practically, here are some ways I can go about living my role.

I can pray for you. Jesus is guiding the whole process of receiving the gift of faith and so I communicate with him about you.

I can befriend you. I have to be in relationship with you in order to get to know you and for you to know me. In this way we can explore faith together. This isn’t weird or manipulative as there is nothing more caring and valuable I can do with you than join you in exploring deep issues.

I can listen to you. What do you think about Jesus? Where do you get your ideas about Jesus and the Christian faith? It is important for us to see what we hold in common where we differ.

I can study for you. I have to be informed about Christianity, other worldviews, and the whole process of clear, principled, reasonable thinking. I honor you by making an informed case for Jesus.

I can behave myself. I have to model life the way Jesus would live my life if he were me, as much as possible. It isn’t helpful for you if there is any confusion of me saying one thing and doing another.

All people who identify themselves as Christian are not the same. Unlike some other worldviews, you are not “born” a Christian. You are not culturally a Christian. Christians can only really be considered Christians if they follow the authority of the scripture and the model of Jesus. Yes, there are some variations to how these are interpreted, but not much, really. When bad stuff is done in the name of Jesus, one needs only look at scripture and the model of Jesus to sort it out.

That Christians can call themselves Christian but not be Christian is not widely understood by non-Christians. There are so many generalizations about Christians that would take a slight amount of time and effort to understand. This isn’t even deep work. Take evangelism for example.

Some non-Christians are afraid that Christians are going to try to “convert” them. This is a rather narcissistic focus on the part of the unbeliever. We care, but we have other things on our mind, as well.

We Christians are first and foremost concerned about own relationship with Jesus, let alone try to worry about yours. Your relationship with Jesus begins with you and him.

Second, Christians may try to be helpful to guide you to Jesus, but that is simply his command and our pleasure. The same Jesus who tells us to make disciples (Matthew 28:19) tells us to back off if you aren’t interested (Luke 10:10-11). A healthy Christian is a Christian who focuses on receptive people.

If you aren’t interested, I am not going to get any Holy Spirit “brownie” points by bugging you. At the same time don’t get too put out that I actually expressed some interest in you. You might have some explaining to do when you stand before Jesus and tell him you were offended I talked to you about him- He probably sent me.

Christianity is a religion built on a relationship between the believer and Jesus. This is a relationship strengthened in community with other Christians. We gather in these communities throughout the world. The purpose of our communities is to make disciples (followers of Jesus) out of all people groups everywhere. They are to join us in this same task and privilege. Now, we are not alone in this process.

Jesus said he will send his Spirit to empower us and guide us. And the potential believer is not alone. The same Spirit prepares the potential believer to hear the good news of Jesus. How? Let me mention two ways.

One way all people are prepared to know Jesus is through their conscience. The Bible says God’s ways are “written on people’s hearts” (Psalm 40:8). When you connect with Jesus, you connect with your best, true self.

Another way people are prepared to know Jesus is through what humans do with their conscience. They develop religions and philosophies to explain the world and their place in it. So, the potential Christian already has been thinking on the truths of Jesus where those truths are reflected. This is why it is helpful for Christians to know the basics of other religions and philosophies so we can witness to what we hold in common.

As we think about this, let’s be clear that Jesus is God revealed to the world. He is not hidden in other worldviews. We do not come to Jesus through other religions or philosophies. It’s not necessary. It’s just that truth is truth and Jesus is the sole source of truth.