Be afraid of a faith that asks no questions.

So we are trying something here. I am not talking about this blog. We are trying something different. Jeanette and I are trying to live differently. We aren't "going green". We aren't "hippies". And we also aren't "freedom hating defectors". 

We just see something wrong. And you may be annoyed by this post. You may be annoyed by the direction I turn. But we see something wrong in the world today. The problem isn't necessarily the fact something is wrong in the world. We realists have to come to expect that with the world. It is a broken place. The real problem I see, is that we don't see our own wrong doings. Now I want you all to understand that by 'we', I mean the people who are calling themselves 'Christians'.

Let me start with some examples.

And (PLEASE) do not mistake my tone for that of innocence. I am as guilty as the next. But I am trying to change.

Fact:

Total Christian income in the United States each year is estimated around 5.2 trillion dollars, nearly half of the income of Christians in the world. 

Another Fact: 

In 2000, nearly 97% of income generated by Christian organizations was spent on, or primarily benefited Christians. 

Yet Another Fact: 

Revelation 17 warns of a Babylon the Great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.

My Analysis:

I have grown up in the "American Evangelical Society". The Bible belt where Christian bumper stickers are on almost every car and there is a different church to fit your specific needs on every corner. But one eerie similarity remains. They aren't changing this world. They are feeding themselves. They give money, but they know they will receive it. We eat while the lost starve.

What is the problem? Why do we act dead? Are we dead? Can we come back to life if we are? 

What if... we were never alive?

What if we lost Jesus in our own agendas? 

I often feel dismayed in churches. I thank God for the church I am a part of now, but I am often dismayed. Too many of us are content to consume. That is what we American's are, consumers. So we sit down with our Starbuck's and we write down what the preacher tells us is true. And we leave it at that. 

What have we gained? Are we bowing down before Babylon, the false prophet? And if we have unknowingly just sat and been fed the lies of Babylon...who is accountable for that? Sadly it is us. Our own complacency kills us and leads us to judgement. When is the last time you rethought your faith? Why do you pray the way you do? Why do you even pray? 

I was struck with the thought of why I pray the way I do a few weeks ago. I was reading John 16. Jesus is teaching His disciples about the Holy Spirit and about prayer. In verse 24, He says, "You haven't done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy."

Well I always closed my prayers robotically by saying, 'In Jesus name, Amen'.

Is that wrong? No, it's not wrong, but I didn't ever know why I was saying 'in Jesus name', I just did it. Probably because other people did it and I just picked up the terminology. The fact of the matter is, a lot of us in the Christian faith do a lot of things. We do a lot of things without thinking about them. This isn't always bad, but I think it is a lack of understanding that buries us and our faith. Our faith is not our own. 

Now, when I pray, 'in Jesus name', I have a totally new perspective. I have new faith. And I know, if I am rooted in the will of God...my prayer is going to be answered. I know the meaning behind the term, and it is an AMAZING one! The truth behind that blew me away. I felt ashamed for saying it so ignorantly for so long. 

I want all of us, Christians and non-Christians alike to be able to ask questions. Too many oppressive religions stifle thought and inquiry for us to allow it in our own. 

I admit, the problem a lot of the time isn't just that questions are stifled, though I know from experience that can be the case. On the other end of the spectrum, we are too lazy to ask the questions....WE HAVE TO! HOW ELSE WILL YOU LEARN?

These are my questions. These are my thoughts. Please keep reading.

So I am going to get back to Jeanette and I. Like I said, we just see something wrong. Especially in the American church. I do not know why we all have become so numb. It may be in part to marketing, laziness, ignorance, too many freedoms(gasp)....whatever it is, something is wrong. 

So solutions....are there any? 

I believe so. For me there have been some definitive changes and revelations over the past six months. I am a changed man, still working, still sinning, still failing, but at least I am progressing.

So here is an idea. We stop believing the lie that God is pleased with how we are living....

Look at your church. Look at your life.  

Now read Matthew 5:3-12.

This is the call of every believer. This is the new world order. This is how we are to live our lives, yes even in the 21st century, yes even in America.

• God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him (for the Kingdom is theirs)
• God blesses those who morn (for they will be comforted)
• God blesses those who are humble (for they will inherit the earth)
• God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice (for they will be satisfied)
• God blesses those who are merciful (for they will be shown mercy)
• God blesses those whose hearts are pure (for they will see God)
• God blesses those who work for peace (for they will be called the children of God)
• God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right (for the Kingdom is theirs)

So to the 'Crystal Cathedral's' and to the 'Liberty University's' out there...is this what we are striving for? To the citizens of the empire....is this what we are striving for? To the Christians in the workforce...is this what we are striving for? Do we cater to the wealthy so they will donate? Do we look to the educated to gain posterity and some sort of legitimacy. Christ said He will use the foolishness of this world to shame the wise...he will use the meek and the poor, the peacemakers and the persecuted. This is not the same Jesus we see worshiped in most of America. We see a Jesus who has granted many people powerful jobs, wealth, cars, houses, wisdom, degrees, luxury, freedom, health...etc.

which, don't get me wrong, isn't bad....but i fear those things I just listed have become  America's Jesus.

I am convicted by a God who is so big I have no way to even explain him, let alone try to contain him, and on top of that try to persuade him, that I have a better way.

So here are a few of the things that have helped me along the way. Maybe they will work for you too. I think so.

I pray. Constantly...(not constantly enough)....but every time I think of it, I do. I am praying quietly, I am praying aloud. And I have seen a difference. The only way to have a 'relationship' with God, is by communication....ie PRAYER. And every once in a while, when I shut up long enough to listen....I can hear Him too. And that is amazing.

I read. I always loved to read. Then after high school, life got busy. And I stopped. Now I started again. I read the Bible...(Life Application Study Bible...New Living Translation) I love it. I understand it...I enjoy it. I need it. So do you. But it is not only the Bible...I am reading any Christian material I can get my hands on and wrap my mind around. I am talking authors like Saint Augustine to Shane Claiborne to John Piper. And it challenges me and I grow.

I talk. I share my ideas. I ask questions. In, talking, I am thinking. It makes me think. It makes me reevaluate my belief system. I have been convicted by so many things, just by talking to people. By opening myself up for discussion about God, about people, and about life, I open others up to what they have learned and what they have questions and discussion on. Iron sharpens iron.

Lastly, I mingle. Community is so important in the Christian walk. It gets hard. It gets rough, and unless you have true, close community with a small group of people, it gets almost too hard to handle. Community holds you accountable. It makes you vulnerable. And that is what moves us to change. When we are constantly reminded about our problems, our vices, our inconstancies, we are far more apt to change them. This is good. It is far harder to hide your shortcomings when you are in a authentic community of believers with a like mind and a genuine love for each other.

I want to change the world. But I can't.

The good news is: I know who can. 

The American Church needs to put down their American Jesus

And bow to the Jesus of Nazareth they have turned away from.