My roommate has been reading “God’s Politics” by Jim Wallis, I can’t say I’ve read the book, but our discussions have been really interesting over the last few days as we’ve been talking about it. As Christians in America it seems we are always trying to defend our way of life, and our right to practice our beliefs. Christians tend to stand against things like abortion and homosexual marriage. We’ll go to rallies, we’ll write letters, and pastors will devote their sermons to these things.

Now, don’t get me wrong right away. I understand the purpose that Politics plays in everyday life and why it is important. I understand and what the Bible says about those issues, and truthfully, I even agree with most of the church folks about them. But I disagree with the pedestal that we put those issues on.

Here’s the deal, why do we spend so much time fighting and worrying about these things when there are much more important things we could be doing? Why activism instead of evangelism? Is it simply because the enemy is clearer and the objective is straightforward? Are we actually being selfish as we march? Looking out only for our comfort and our rights, wanting the world to act in the way that we want it to?

We have to play an interesting balance as Americans. According to our Bill of Rights we have certain rights that we can claim for ourselves. We deserve them as Americans. Yet, in Philippians we find Paul talking about Christ’s humility in spite of his right to equality with God:

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death-
even death on a cross!”
Philippians 2:5-8

It seems like we would be much more representative of God if we spent more time telling the people that we disagree with that God loves them and wants to invite them into a personal relationship with himself. Why are we trying to make everyone act like Christians before they even know Christ? I know it’s simplistic, and I know that life is more complicated than the easy answers. But I feel like as Christians we need to have our priorities straight and focus on what brings the most glory to our Father. Spending time at a rally, waving protest signs doesn’t have that same effect. Put aside activism, start evangelism.

Several people I’ve run into lately that seem to think following Christianity should be easy. They want desperately to believe that all paths lead to heaven, and that any kind of faith is faith enough. I don’t believe this is true, but it makes it frustrating to talk to them. There’s certainly a part of me which yearns to accept everyone simply because they have faith; I hate being exclusionary. I think the tendency is to want Christianity to be easier. Religion without the conviction.

In the gospel of John we see a particularly disheartening day when many disciples are confused about Jesus’ teaching and desert him. John 6:60 “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’ ” Many when they are confused and cannot understand God, desert him. ” ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’ ” Some people walk away when they hear a hard teaching, the rest of us admit we are confused but know that Jesus is truth.

What these people are hoping for is not Christianity. True Christianity cannot be mixed, the result is watered down religion without substance. While appealing, it is utterly false. People expect that they should be able to sit on the dividing line of faith and simply “lean” in one direction or another, hoping that the fact that they are on the fence will save them. Jesus has no time for this, as we read in Revelation 3:15-16. If you are neither hot nor cold then he will spit you out of his mouth.

Christianity is based on making a decision. It is an all-or-nothing (Romans 2:5-10). Many would say that this is exclusionary, but I think if you truly look into Christianity you will find that it is inclusionary. In the sense that we are all rejected God from the beginning, but an all-loving God is reaching out to save as many as will accept and follow Him. God is seeking to include, not exclude, it was our own decision which leads to separation from God.

In our modern day world of “acceptance” and “tolerance” people view Christianity as judgmental and exclusionary. Yet we cannot waver on what we know is true simply because it is a hard teaching, or because people may look badly upon us. No, not everyone will go to heaven, but everyone has the chance to. We cannot waver on this teaching on this as a Christian because it is the crux of Christianity. It is essential to understand and be able to explain clearly and lovingly.

I have lately noticed a trend in church services, Christian magazines, Christian music, Christian culture, etc… Christians trying to be relevant. To be sure, this is a big step for the evangelical church of our parents generation that wouldn’t dance, watch movies, or step foot in a bar; sometimes they were alienated from the non-christians around them. But I worry that in our modern quest to be relevant we compromise and dilute our faith with secular culture. We try so hard to make Christianity look “cool.”

I think one of my biggest annoyances is that we assume that in order to be relevant to the generation around us we need to simplify our message. We need to “dumb it down.” So we replace pew Bibles with video screens, we interpret the Bible for them, and then we turn it into petty clichés. The argument is always that by doing this we will first capture a non-believers attention and then lead them into a deeper faith afterwards, much like secular advertising. Part of this makes sense to me. But by cutting down God’s word into easy-to-digest tidbits we reduce our message to nothing but more clutter.

Paul was relevant to his generation, without reducing his message in the slightest. You can see his “be everything to everyone” attitude in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. The difference between Paul and ourselves is that while he is finding common ground with people he is following up those relationships by preaching the gospel. An unadulterated, unsimplified, relevant gospel. You can see an example of this in Acts 17:22-34 where he finds common ground with the Athenians, their poets, and how they worship, but then turns the conversation towards the one true God and does not shy away from complications or controversies.

I think that people want depth in faith, they want to see that Christianity is not a mindless bunch of freaks following some tradition they invented. They want to see that it has substance. Now, this may not mean that you start discussing the intricacies of theological matters with a unbeliever, but it does mean that you don’t hold back from explaining things that they have questions on simply because it may confuse them. They are not going to understand the Christian faith in a day. I think the hope is that they will be compelled to pick up a Bible, or ask around and look into it themselves.

I guess as an Advertising major it’s a challenge to myself as much as anyone else. I’m just as guilty. Maybe we just need to stop trying so hard to be relevant and speak truth. Relevance will follow.

I had a great conversation with some folks awhile back about the topic of passion in our relationship with God. I feel like it was a stalemate, not that we were competing, but because I still don’t fully grasp the idea. What is biblical passion anyway? It’s only mentioned in the bible in a negative light, so why is it such a buzzword in the Christian community? Everybody seems to want passion. Worship albums are named Passion, songs are sung about it, but is it necessary?

Passion is obviously a strong emotion, an attachment to something which you are fixated upon. It certainly sounds like something I’d want in my relationship with God. You see people that are passionate about their careers, about their schoolwork, or their favorite T.V. show and you think “Man, I’d like that…” Passion by its nature is attractive…

“If you believe something, passionately, people will follow you. People hardly care what you believe, as long as you believe something. If you are passionate about something, people will follow you because they think you know something they don’t, some clue to the meaning of the universe. Passion is tricky, though, because it can point to nothing as easily as it points to something”
From “Blue Like Jazz” by Donald Miller

So even though passion is attractive, I guess I don’t want people following me simply because I’m being passionate about something. If they follow me purely as a result of that passion, they will eventually run out of passion for God themselves, get discouraged and turn away. Like the seed that fell on the rocks, sprang up quickly, and eventually withered in the sun because it had no root. (Matthew 13:5-6)

There have been true moments when I have felt passion for my Lord. But they seem few and far between. I want to have those moments more, I want to have people look at my relationship with God and say “Wow, I want something like that.” Not that I’d be showing off, but that God is simply working through my life and people are inspired to be a part of that too. I want to follow God with all my heart, I want to use all of my abilities to give him glory, I want to pursue him with all the strength I have.

But I’m not sure I have enough energy to keep that going all the time. Maybe God could sustain me with that kind of energy. But is passion something that he desires in my life? Is it a requirement for my walk? Or is it merely a fringe benefit?

I don’t want my relationship with God to be an emotional feeling. Emotions are temporary, they never last for very long. I want my belief to endure even when the supporting emotion is not there. My friend Norm once told me that he wasn’t sure that passion was a requirement in your walk with Christ, only dedication. He said some of the wisest Christian men that he knows have not been the most passionate.

So where does this Passion play a role in our Christian walk then? That’s what I’m left wondering. I cannot fully bring myself to say that Passion is unnecessary. Who wants to follow something they never feel strongly about? I suppose the answer hangs in the middle somewhere, like always. There is a certain place for it, but it cannot become the most important issue. I apologize for my stream-of-consciousness post here, I feel like I’m rambling. What do you think? Is Passion a necessity?

I believe that’s the question each of us are asking ourselves. I’ve been asking it for a long time. I’ve been looking for that affirmation from others. Today I’ve been so frustrated that I am not everything I want to be, not everything that I could be. I know amazing men of God that I look up to and that I want to be like. But I don’t measure up to them, I am not always like them. So often I feel like I get back the answer that I am not good enough for anything. Not a good enough Christian, not a good enough friend, not good enough at my job, not a good enough member of society.

I am not enough, I am nothing but a failure. If only I worked harder, was more disciplined, had more friends, and was more spiritual. I try to do all these things, but their needs inundate me and I end up more confused, and more of a failure than before. I strive for my goal which is to be like those people, they have become my standard. This goal that is self made – not God made.

This is when I realize that I take this question to the wrong place. I ask my friends “Am I Enough”? I ask everyone around me, and I ask myself. I will always dissapoint people around me. And their answers are always dissapointing. Yet, when do I take this question to God? Have you ever tried praying to God and sincerely asking his opinion of you?

I don’t think his answer would be, “Well, you haven’t read your Bible in awhile, so I’m not sure what to think about you.” He wouldn’t nitpick your spiritual “problem areas.” No, the first thing he would say is that you are his creation, and that he loves you regardless. If you take that question to God the answer you will get back is a resounding “YES!” Through Jesus we no longer have to be enough. We don’t have to measure up to a standard of anyone else, we don’t have to look to others to affirm us.

The power of grace in action is unfathomable. God is Enough, that’s all that matters.