How I Came to Love Theology...I Mean how I Fell in Love with God.

As I look back on the past 5 years of my life I find it interesting how I came to fall in love with theology. That is probably not the right way to say that, I believe that through this journey I have finally fallen in love with God.

I grew up in the church and participation in church activities has always been a part of who I am. I must say that this post is in no way saying that I do not think that those people who guided and shaped me when I was younger did not communicate the gospel or God's love. I have had the amazing opportunity to have many amazing pastors, youth pastors, mentors, and friends who have helped me along this journey.

But, after high school I don't think that I was prepared to be a Christian in the real world. Through my time in the church, from childhood through high school, I had been given answers to questions and a vocabulary that, because I was now on my own, fell short in my searching and desire for God. I know that I am not the only one with this type of experience and I am also aware that there are many people who have not had this struggle. I am not looking to place blame but I am simply admitting that I needed more. This dissatisfaction has much more to do with me than anything else.

One of the most amazing times in my life was my time at Bethel University. I was thrust into a world of people who were searching for, and questioning God. In this environment I became alive. I found that I have an unquenchable desire to know God, to ask challenging questions, and try to find the answers to them. Through the task of theology I was encountered by a God who encouraged my seeking and who was always bigger than my answers. For me, this quest was about more than the questions and, probably, about more than the answers. It was about the pursuit of God. I now see theology as a spiritual discipline, searching for God is how I love God and is how I feel loved by God.

My second semester, I took a class on the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Karl Barth. This class has forever changed my life. The radical Christ-centered nature of these theologians was what I had been searching for. At that time I also began to read theological blogs. One post that really helped me was one by W. Travis McMaken on how to approach the reading of Barth. So, You Want to Read Barth, was very helpful as I began to working on my own study of Barth. I encourage any of you who are interested in reading Barth to check out this post and, Dr. McMaken's blog, for that matter.

In a very real way theology helped me fall in love with God in a way that I could have never imagined. May you know that God is bigger than your questions and that those questions that you have may in fact lead you into a very powerful relationship with your creator. Keep asking, seeking, and knocking because the door will be opened to you...but you might have to push or pull on it sometimes. My journey has not been easy, and at times it has been painful, but it has been worth it.

Remembering a Prophet and Remembering a Calling

Today we remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was a pastor, leader, visionary, and a prophet just to name a few of the attributes of this great man. Besides being one of the best examples of a leader who promoted change through non-violent means he was a prophetic voice, not only for the African American community, but for the church at large. Below are some of his quotes that should have a lasting impression on us.

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

On a day where we remember this man we are also reminded of our call as Christians. We are called to have a prophetic voice in the world. A voice that casts light into darkness, that frees the prisoner, that supports those who suffer, and one that continuously sends forth the Kingdom of God. The prophetic voice of King is really just an echo of Jesus. May we be a people, who again participate in the prophetic calling of the church through Jesus Christ.

*if you are at all interested in the prophetic calling of the church I suggest reading Prophetic Imagination.

My Thoughts on "Why I hate Religion, but Love Jesus"

The video above has been making its way around various social media platforms for the past few days. It currently has over 900,000 views on youtube. It seems like every time I go on Facebook, another one of my friends has shared it and has said "Amen" or "Right on." Now let me preface what follows with this; I completely understand where these thoughts/feelings come from and share in most of them...but...

We must define what we mean by religion. In the video "religion" is described as "behavior modification, a checklist of to do's." It seems like religion is understood as a heavy burden that is put on. The language that he uses to describe Jesus' interaction with the religious establishment makes it seem that Jesus came to "abolish" religion, that is to say to abolish Judaism. This view is very problematic; while Jesus did have a lot to say to the Jewish leaders (mostly corrective) he must be viewed as a prophet, calling the Jewish people back to their calling. Jesus and Judaism must not and cannot not be separated.

When we view religion as a belief in something that shapes our ritual, social, and ethical areas of life we must also realize that the story behind the belief is important. What does this mean for us as Christians? It means that when we buy into the story of Jesus we are brought into His story, from creation. We are all given a shared history, the history of the Jewish people. Creation, fall, captivity, liberation, wandering, kingdom, captivity, liberation, failure, covenant. All of the stories that we read in the bible are a part of our story we cannot forget that. This means that we must also accept that our past is marred by some very terrible situations (religious wars, crusades, things of that nature) but all of these situations have lead us to where we are today. This is not to say that we should not repent of the ways that Christians have treated others and even each other, but it is to say that we must realize that this history is important. God has been active in creation this whole time and we must claim that, even though we might need to look a little harder at times for His activity.

So what does this mean for Christianity? What did Jesus come to do? Jesus came not to abolish religion but to redeem it, to set a new way forward for his people. (Matt 5:17-20) When Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God he is not talking about a new religion but he is talking about what Israel has been called to since Genesis. He is God in flesh; he is the example of what being a blessing to the nations looks like.

I share the discontentment that this guy expresses with Christianity. What this video shows is the paradigm shift that is taking place within the church. The issues that drive this video like: hypocrisy, political affiliation, lack of grace, desire for authenticity, and acting one way on Sunday and another during the week are all things that I am sympathetic with. But, this is not a problem of religion vs. Christianity this is a problem of discipleship.

This video is a prophetic call to the church and Christians to step up. It asks the question. Are you a passive observer of Jesus or a devoted follower? I think that when he says "religion" a better description would be a passive observer of Jesus. Those who know him/his stories but have not taken the jump into a changed life. His call is for devoted followers/disciples of Jesus to continue to bring the Kingdom of God to earth. Christians and the church must be a prophetic voice in the world proclaiming the good news. As we grow in our faith our lives begin to change, we become more gracious, generous, we reflect Christ. Discipleship is a call to profess, "Jesus is Lord" and this call has no boundaries. It is a claim over your whole life: social, political, vocational, spiritual. Jesus is Lord of all of these areas there is no way to partition off an area. This is discipleship. I think what this video points out is what Bonhoeffer calls the "invisible church." Bonhoeffer contrasts the visible and invisible church in his work by saying that there is no such thing as the invisible church because it is not the church. The church, he argues must be visible in the world by its actions and its proclamation.

The problem is not religion but discipleship.

Who am I?

Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equally, smilingly, proudly,
Like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were
compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectation of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?

Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine!

This poem was written by Detrich Bonhoeffer. I should probably read this every morning. Today find you identity in Christ. No matter what you face: hostility, love, conflict, joy, dispare, grace. Know that whoever you are, God knows you and you are his beloved child.