Why Do We Keep Shooting at Each Other?

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably chuckled - or flat-out belly laughed - your way through Ralphie's Christmas schemes to find his own Red Ryder Carbin-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle under the tree on Christmas morning.

It is all that he can think about.

His imagination is quite vivid as he daydreams about what he would do with his gun. Remember Black Bart and his gang of robbers? Ralphie and his Red Ryder takes down the gang and sends Black Bart over the fence, saving the Parker family and becoming the hero of the day.

He writes his school essay about the Red Ryder.

He anxiously stands in line to take his most sacred request to the mall Santa, only to have Santa respond, "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid!"

Let's forget about Ralphie and his dilemma. We in the Church are the ones in danger of shooting our own collective eye out.

I came across an article over the weekend that posed a question that was meant, no doubt, to be provocative and thoughtful. Here's the question: What if Jesus went Undercover Boss at Joel Osteen's Church?

The article unfolded in the way one might expect, pondering what would happen if Jesus actually showed up at an Osteen church service - would He be welcomed in, would He be kept at arm's length, or would He be asked to leave?

The hypothesis and conclusion of the article says it all, "The uncomfortable truth is that Christianity may have become so different from Jesus that the two no longer fit together." Joel Osteen's church is the litmus test.

While I do not agree with the presumption and view with which the author begins, I do find kernels of truth in his writing. One point I agree with is that it is not belief that would separate Jesus from the institution that bears His name, rather it is alignment. Still, some churches that claim Christ may not necessarily hold to a scriptural view of Christianity.

The article raises valid questions. Would the modern church of today - particularly in the Western world with all the bells and whistles that come with great opportunity and wealth - even be recognizable to Jesus?

Do we, as members of the Church and the Kingdom of Christ, live in alignment with the things that Jesus actually did and that He taught his followers to do?

If the content of the article was meant to be thought provoking, the comments under the article were nothing short of concerning.

One commentor posted, "Osteen’s church does not represent Christianity."

Another posted, "Jesus would be escorted off the premise while people shouted at him until he was placed in the police car."

Another posted, "What does Joel Osteen have to do with Christianity?"

There were some posts in favor of Osteen and his church, and there was also the atheist who suggested Joel and his church should be expelled and the arena reopened for concerts and parties.

Forget Gilbert Grape (random 90s movie reference) - what's eating the people who claim to follow Jesus?

It seems to me we are more in danger of shooting our own eye out than little Ralphie was with his bb gun.

I am no expert on Joel Osteen and his personal belief statement or the belief statement of his church. I do know he has a million-dollar smile, good fits, and a nice head of hair. I did read about a kerfuffle with Osteen's church not opening their doors to locals in the Houston area after historic level flooding.

I also read the What We Believe section on the church website. It seemed like standard, evangelical fare - straight and clear on the authority of scripture, the trinity, salvation, etc. What a website cannot reveal, however, is how a church aligns with scripture and with Jesus. And that is what it comes down to for each of us - how (or even if) we align with Jesus Christ.

There is plenty good to be said for being concerned with protecting congregations against false teaching, being rightly focused on discipleship and spiritual formation, and ensuring that the gospel of Jesus Christ - the actual gospel as lived out by Jesus Christ - is the priority for the Church.

There is plenty good to be said about defending the faith. I can imagine the apostle Paul standing at Mars Hill now, the place where the educated thinkers spoke of new ideas.

Acts 17:22-26, NLT

"So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: "Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, [23] for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: 'To an Unknown God.' This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I'm telling you about. [24] "He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, [25] and human hands can't serve his needs-for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. [26] From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries."

God and His character and nature was at the center of this debate that Paul brought to the thinkers. What was the result?

Acts 17:32-34, NLT

"When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, "We want to hear more about this later." [33] That ended Paul's discussion with them, [34] but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council, a woman named Damaris, and others with them."

Some people scoffed - but others joined him and became believers. The writer of this New Testament letter names two of them, Dionysius and Damaris, a woman.

Paul was speaking to a group that was not already identifying as followers of the Way (a common reference to Christians in those days). The phrase followers of the Way indicated that a spiritual belief led to a transformation and orientation of a person's life to God. This is another way of saying that people who followed Jesus did not merely consent to a list of beliefs; they aligned themselves with the teaching of Jesus and with how he lived out the tenants of His teaching.

Defending our faith and proclaiming the gospel are good things.

The problem arises when we begin to act in ways that more closely resemble little Ralphie daydreaming about shooting Black Bart and his gang of robbers than in living and proclaiming the gospel in such a way that the gospel is winsome and inviting.

When our focus is intently directed at continuously expounding on various deep dives into one particular idea or another, then using these scholarly defenses to build camps of insiders and outsiders, we are in danger of becoming modern day Pharisees - the very people Jesus used his harshest words against.

We become Ralphie, and those who do not agree with our interpretation become part of Black Bart's gang of robbers. We envision ourselves the hero and the thems as false teachers and robbers to shoot at.

I want to be clear. If a church teaches that Jesus is not the only way to God, I will gladly debate that. After all, Jesus says in John 14:6 that no one comes to the Father except through Him.

If a church teaches universalism (the view that, in the end everyone is saved, regardless), I will gladly debate that. After all, Jesus teaches in Matthew 25:31-46 that a day of separation and judgment will come.

Likewise, if a church teaches there was no resurrection, I will gladly point to the scriptures and to the extrabiblical historical accounts of this earth-shattering, life-changing event.

Some things are just too central, too important, and too necessary to the Christian faith to not defend.

However, I fear that we are making Black Barts out of too many issues. Maybe it is well intentioned, maybe it is a lack of understanding of biblical contextual, cultural and historical backgrounds, and maybe it is something else altogether. Whatever it is, I fear that we are hyper-focusing on some points to the exclusion of others.

Robin R. Meyers, who served as a pastor in the United Church of Christ for nearly four decades, wrote, "Consider this remarkable fact: In the Sermon on the Mount, there is not a single word about what to believe. Only words about what to do and how to be. By the time the Nicene Creed is written, only three centuries later, there is not a single word in it about what to do and how to be - only words about what to believe." (Saving God from Religion: A Minister's Search for Faith in a Skeptical Age)

Full disclosure - Pastor Meyers is cut from a progressive, liberal Christianity. Many reformed and conservative believers would likely point their bb gun of defense in his direction and would certainly discount most (all ?) of what he says or writes.

But we are not seeking theological and doctrinal consensus with Meyers on all of his beliefs; we are seeking truth. And there is truth in Meyer's thoughts on this. Consider what Jesus taught in his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.

Matthew 5:3-12, NLT

"God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. [4] God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. [5] God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. [6] God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. [7] God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. [8] God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. [9] God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. [10] God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. [11] "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. [12] Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way."

Jesus is teaching about what we do and who we are to be. Jesus is talking about character and how we live out our faith in practical, real ways. These are the ethics of His Kingdom, and they are completely different from the ethics of the world.

Jesus teaches his followers on a variety of real-life scenarios.

Matthew 6:14-15,19-21,25-27, NLT

"If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. [15] But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."

[19] "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. [20] Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. [21] Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be"

"[25] "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? [26] Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? [27] Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?"

And this.

Matthew 7:2-5,12,21-23, NLT

"For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. [3] "And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? [4] How can you think of saying to your friend, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? [5] Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye."

"[12] "Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets."

"[21] "Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. [22] On judgment day many will say to me, 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' [23] But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws.'"

Now, consider the Nicene Creed.

"We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

"And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father.

Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end.

"And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son,

and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen." https://www.bibles.net/the-full-text-of-the-nicene-creed/

This creed affirms what we as followers of the Way should believe, but it tells us nothing of what to do and how to be. Yet this is the essence of how Jesus taught - and we are called to come into alignment with who Jesus is and how he taught us to be.

Belief is important, but belief - at least in a scriptural view - is about more than an academic agreement in theory. James tells us that belief alone is insufficient for salvation, pointing out that even the demons believe. (James 2:19)

"The concept of belief is not merely an intellectual acknowledgment of truth but an active trust and reliance on God and His promises." https://bibledictionarytoday.com/words/believe/

"Another significant reference is found in Romans 10:9 (NIV), which says, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Here, belief is intertwined with confession and internal conviction, stressing that true belief leads to transformative action." https://bibledictionarytoday.com/words/believe/

The Nicene Creed captures and gives voice to what historical Christians believe. Our belief should compel us to an internal transformation that brings our thinking, our desires, and our priorities into alignment with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our beliefs and our Kingdom ethics and values are to be held together, not as either/or.

There are many points of dissension in Christianity and among members of the Church today. The role of women in ministry is prominent right now, with both fierce support and opposition. The opposition points to specific verses but fails to explain how Paul can mean that all women for all times should never speak in any church in one verse yet in another verse gives them direction for speaking in church. (Read 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and then 1 Corinthians 11:5)

Likewise, we don't hear much about this teaching from Paul in 1 Corinthians 11.

1 Corinthians 11:11-12, NLT

"But among the Lord's people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. [12] For although the first woman came from man, every other man was born from a woman, and everything comes from God."

This passage is also often left out.

Ephesians 5:21, NLT

"And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."

And of course, there is the example of Jesus who allowed Mary to sit at his feet while he taught, which was not culturally accepted in those days. (Luke 10:38-42)

Another point of contention is over the issue of election and predestination. I won't go into detail here, but it is a part of a Calvinistic belief that can divide congregations easier than a sharp knife cuts warm butter.

Add Christiann nationalism, speaking in tongues, how (if) God speaks to people today, political views, and any number of other issues, and we have created a perfect scenario for shooting our own eye out.

People are lost, people are hurting, and people are struggling. The Church has been blessed by God to be a blessing. Let's not miss our calling and our mission because we are too busy debating baby baptism, household salvation, modes of baptism, or any of the other issues.

Let's not see every issue as a potential Black Bart that we need to shoot with our Red Ryder bb guns.

Let's be discerning.

Let's listen to Jesus and learn what to do and how to be.