Monday 28 April 2008

Scary Christians

Opinionated, influential Christians scare me!

I heard the other day (yes it is hearsay) about an internationally recognised christian evangelist and teacher who preaches that the 'mark of the beast' is not bar codes, nor 666, nor even secret script embedded in Microsoft windows, it's Muslims.

Apparently, he announces that a 'good Muslim' wears symbols on his forehead and wrist and these mark him as an Anti-christ. (I seem to remember the Christian Scriptures advocating that Jews were to wear these same symbols of allegiance.) He goes further and suggests that any Muslim that is not intentionally seeking the destruction of non-believers, is in fact a 'bad' Muslim.

This kind of preaching scares me, I believe it is not only inflammatory but wrong, and I reject it!

Too often people sprout ill informed, biased opinions grounded on stereotypical, politically motivated agenda. Their pronouncements aim to inflame emotions by perpetuating and celebrating differences, of which there will always be multiple, rather than seeking and encouraging the common ground.

It would seem to me that this agenda of 'division' is itself anti-christian. Didn't Jesus seek to unite and include? Even when people opposed him ('Anti-Christs') he identified them and then sought to include them - accepting them as they were first and attempting to transform them by relationship.

I have some amazing Islamic friends: people that I respect, trust and honour. People that are open to dialogue, men and women for whom acceptance, love and peace are life scripts.

It's easy to have and declare an opinion - it's much harder to have and develop a relationship. If I'm serious about influencing people (and proving that my faith relationship is worth having) then I need to stop talking and start being a friend.

Thursday 17 April 2008

When Prayer Doesn't Work!

This has been an horrific week in New Zealand. A 15 year old went missing over a week ago and today the authorities are speaking to a 'person of interest'. A 13 year old, on her way to school, (in our neighbourhood) disappeared and was not missed for a week!

Then, 10 young people from a local Christian College were swept up in a canyoning accident which ultimately claimed the lives of 6 students and their teacher.

As the news swept the nation people prayed. Parents prayed that their children were not amongst those involved, and I have no doubt that the students prayed that God would save them, and yet 7 died.

To say, as some have, that four were saved because they prayed seems a little insensitive to me. Does that mean that God didn't listen to those that died, despite their prayers, or that God listened more to the parents of those that survived: or does it mean that they didn't pray 'right'. (How many thousands of Christians suffer, go hungry, are lonely, die each day - despite the fact that they ask God to get involved and make it different? Does God not listen to them? Or are they not praying hard enough?)

Don't get me wrong I am thrilled that some survived and I have no doubt that God heard their prayers, and even that God acted to provide for their escape. But I don't think we can say that God saved just because of prayer! I think there is more involved!

Could it be that God has a lot more information than we do - that our vision and understanding are finite and narrow - and that God doesn't always act in the ways that we dictate, or even as we understand compassion and love?

The amazing thing is they prayed! That's always the best and right thing to do.

Tuesday 8 April 2008

The Party's Over...

The motivators and educators have spoken ... The leaders have cast their vision... the bands have played... the victory has been claimed! So now what?

Hundreds of people responded to the various challenges presented over the week. People promised to change the way they live, their priorities, their motivations, and their ambitions - but today they're back home and (if any thing like me) they are playing catch up and dealing with the realities of their present.

So how do we make sure the exciting, potentially world changing intentions of the moment are not lost in the tyranny of the urgent and the demands of the present?

Perhaps one way is through accountability!

Most times our decisions are made in private and because they are, we can pretend it never happened, we can pretend even God was too busy to listen, and let's face it we can ignore God! But what if we told one other person of our decision and by doing so asked them to keep us accountable, gave them permission to help us live up to that change?

Personal transformation happens best when we submit to and live in community - because a community of integrity presupposes a commitment to accountable relationships.

Tuesday 1 April 2008

Just Action

Dunedin is the magnet that will draw 275 delegates to The Salvation Army's annual 'Just Action' Conference. Together the delegates will explore the possibilities for 'Freedom from Injustice'. But as I prepare myself to lead a workshop on global injustice, I am forced to ask a few questions like:

What is development? If our globe is unable to sustain the existing levels of requirement - that is where the minority have everything they need, and most of what they want and the majority fight to survive - what happens if the powerless and marginalised - the poor - do develop to the economically privileged level of material requirement. Does that just hasten an ecological Armageddon? If so, should we, the church, the Army, be committed to development?

Other questions come to the surface too: what benefit is globalisation - and to whom? what is community?

It's just one of the questions I'd like to ask at my workshop.