The Dividing Wall of Hostility

This Sunday Ernie Thigpen of Central Church of Christ in Spartanburg, SC, preached a sermon titled “God-Empowered Acceptance,” the fourth part of his series called “1 Spirit: How God the Holy Spirit Shapes and Strengthens Us.” The sermon presented a biblical view of various forms of prejudice in light of the Christian imperative of unity.

His main text was Acts 10. Peter was a law-abiding citizen who knew not to associate with non-Jews, but God opened Peter’s eyes to a new reality in which God welcomes all people into the body of Christ (i.e., the church).

Replaying the sermon in my mind, I think of Ephesians 1, which identifies God’s mysterious will as one of reconciliation in Christ (verses 9-10). The next chapter extends the idea, stating that Jesus Christ is our “peace” who has broken down “the diving wall of hostility” (2:14). We can see from the context surrounding that verse that “the dividing wall of hostility” is one of racism between Jews and Gentiles in early Christianity and the society in which it existed.

Although Christ abolished that “dividing wall,” communities of faith have not always lived out that reality. We have sometimes acted like we’ve forgotten these words of scripture: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, ESV).

I don’t need to remind you of horrific horrors of history performed in the name of Christ against people because of ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, and other forms of prejudice. I also don’t need to detail the countless ways in which “the dividing wall of hostility” still plagues our culture(s) and the church.

What I can emphasize here is that Christ calls us to a higher standard than what we see in cultural trends around us. The mission of the people of God is to live out the mission of God, and God’s mission is reconciliation in, through, and because of Jesus Christ.

However, Christians can experience difficulty in accepting that blessing of reconciliation. Sunday night Tamara and I joined a few other Christians for a small group discussion about this topic. I was pleased that such a group in the South, where we still see personal and systemic continuances of historic racism, could openly talk and listen to each other in such a potentially volatile conversation.

Even with this openness and willingness to discuss the challenge of prejudice and the blessing of reconciliation, we still struggle to implement the unity of Christ in practical ways. I perceive at least two reasons for that struggle. First, we live in a culture that suffers from generations of deeply ingrained racism and other prejudices.

My response is that we can arise above the human tendency to let the culture lead the church. We followers of Christ in his communities of faith must step up and lead the culture in embodying the reconciliation at the heart of the gospel. In the power of God’s Holy Spirit, we can grow beyond the status quo in which Sunday morning remains even more segregated than other times in occupational, residential, recreational, and educational settings. Not only can we work for peace and unity across cultural boundaries in the church, we can act as the body of Christ in ways that penetrate our surrounding culture and that invite God to work through us in transforming societal systems of injustice.

A second reason for our difficulty in living out biblical reconciliation is that change happens slowly. I know this fact from my experience in studying and teaching organizational communication. Healthy organizations, including churches, have leaders who implement changes carefully and, usually, slowly. Quick changes that occur in the absence of prayer, study, and careful planning often lead to unnecessary divisions in the body of Christ.

My response to this second reason is that, while church leaders should be prayerful and careful in implementing changes, we also must be faithful and responsible in living out the church’s mission (i.e., God’s mission of reconciliation) in the midst of contrary influences coming from the culture in which we live. While we are wise to introduce organizational changes slowly, we must not act so slowly that we allow the culture to lead the church in matters of prejudice and reconciliation. We must pray for God to give us compassion, guidance, wisdom, and courage in our efforts to participate in God’s great mission.

As you can probably guess, in our group last night, I was a young whippersnapper dreaming of an ideal. I appreciate and respect the views of all the other group members, and I’m still pondering a question that one member asked me: “What can we do?”

What we can do as individuals depends on where we live, work, and interact with people in various ways. I cannot answer the question for every person, but I encourage each of us to look for opportunities, both in interpersonal relationships and in social engagement, where we can serve as instruments of God’s peace.

What we can do as congregations of Christ’s followers also depends largely on our contexts. Again, we can pray for opportunities to enact God’s reconciliation and search for our location-specific roles to let that mission transform the church and the culture.

A debate has engaged many thoughtful church leaders and scholars in recent decades. Should the church seek to integrate ethnic and other groups of people in worship and service, as recommended in Loventrice Farrow’s insightful article in the December issue of The Christian Chronicle (p. 35)? Or should congregations operate in culturally comfortable means of segregation, allowing various people groups to worship and serve in ways most natural to them?

I minister in South Carolina, and I’ve discussed church segregation with people of two ethic groups in my city. People in both groups prefer homogeneous congregations, but I’m hearing a biblical call in the other direction.

Let me end with three questions soliciting your input.

First, what do you think about this?

Second, what do you think I should do?

Third, what will you do?

Thanking God

Since moving half a country away from our families, Tamara and I never get to see our parents and siblings on Thanksgiving Day. We are, of course, grateful for all members of our extended families, as well as for our friends, cats, jobs, and countless other blessings.

A hymn we sang in congregational worship during my childhood said, “Count your blessings, name them one by one;” but I cannot name all my blessings.

The second line of that refrain continues the encouragement: “Count your blessings, see what God hath done!” God has given us more blessings that we can count or name.

I’m the associate editor of an online magazine called Campus Crosswalk. In that role, I solicit articles from many writers and occasionally write one myself. Last week I wrote an article about some biblical ways to thank God, focusing on Psalm 136 of the ancient Israelite hymnal.

Like many other places in the Psalms, here we see those faithful people of old expressing thanks for who God is and what God has done.

Take a moment to think about who God is and what God has done–in your own life and in previous ages. For what are you thankful?

Last week Tamara and I enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with a generous family in the church here. Before we could eat, the hostess told us to answer that question. Responses varied. “I’m thankful for God’s grace.” “I’m thankful that my dad is still alive.” “I’m thankful for good friends.” I was the last in the circle to answer the question. I said, “I’m thankful for thanksgiving.”

And I wasn’t just being silly. Our abilities and opportunities to thank God are gifts, and for them I am grateful.

Extreme Virtue

Today a relative posted this G. K. Chesterton quote on her Facebook profile status: “Love means to love that which is unlovable, or it is no virtue at all; forgiving means to pardon that which is unpardonable, or it is no virtue at all.”

As I read this, I remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:46 and Luke 6:32. These two Gospels report Christ’s words similarly but also differently. The Matthean version mentions “tax collectors,” and the Lukan passage uses the term “sinners.”

The point is the same in both places: loving the people who love you is not virtuous, for even the people you consider condemned do that. The key virtue in this context is to love the people with whom you cannot stand to associate, the people you think don’t deserve love.

As I reflect on my relationship with God, I remember that I don’t deserve love or forgiveness, yet God grants me those blessings and welcomes me into the divine embrace. I am a sinner, but God loves and forgives me.

The logical application of this truth of faith is that I also should love people I think don’t deserve my love and should forgive people I don’t think deserve my forgiveness.

Therefore, when you act unlovingly toward me, I commit to responding in a loving way. When you do something unforgivable against me, I pledge to forgive. That is how God has treated me, and I can only share the favor.

Today, as you read these words, think about the people you find unlovable or unforgivable. Love them. Forgive them. Think of concrete actions you can do to show your love and forgiveness. That is virtue in the spirit of Jesus Christ.

(Thanks, Elizabeth G.)

Prayer: Beginning Again

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17, KJV).

I recently received a Facebook message from a student who had experienced a drop in her commitment to God and spiritual growth. She requested my advice, asking how she should get back into a regular practice of prayer. Below is a part of my response. I pray that others might find some help in my ramblings.

__________________________________________________________

Concerning your prayer life, I can somewhat understand what you’re experiencing. Although I have never been nor ever will be in your exact situation, I’ve been through several times in life when I felt that I didn’t know how to pray. Here are a few suggestions, for whatever they’re worth.

First, ask God to guide you in your praying. Confess your neglect, accept forgiveness, and invite divine strength to persevere in your spiritual growth.

Second, pray even when you don’t feel like doing so. Setting a specific time each day to pray can be helpful. Set a time and stick to it. If you can’t think of anything to say, just listen…or read scripture. (Some Psalms might help.) Music has also served as a helpful aid in my times with God, and sometimes I like to spend time somewhere in God’s nature and let whatever I see or hear lead me to commune with God–listening, observing, maybe talking a little. Prayer is not always talking.

Third, consider using prayers written by other people of faith. There are some books of Christian prayers. One guide for daily prayer that I learned about just today is The Divine Hours (3 volumes) by Phyllis Tickle. A related book that I plan to read soon is In Constant Prayer by Robert Benson. There are some other books that have benefited my spiritual walk during the last decade, and I can recommend some of them to you if you wish. I know you have a lot of reading to do for classes and therefore might not want to read other books, but I also know you like to read.

Fourth, spend time with people of prayer. Listen to their prayers. Let their prayers become your prayers. Ask them to pray for you and your prayer life.

Fifth, know that I am praying for you.

Take Off Your Shoes

Cary McCall put this Oswald Chambers quote on Facebook yesterday:

“If we have never had the experience of taking our commonplace religious shoes off our commonplace religious feet, and getting rid of all the undue familiarity with which we approach God, it is questionable whether we have ever stood in His presence.”

Some people are content to worship God in the same way all the time, and I cannot say that they do not stand in God’s presence.

However, I do regularly encourage people, especially the university and college students with whom I minister, to experience God in new ways. If you are looking to worship/experience God in fresh ways, let me offer three suggestions.

First, engage in spiritual disciplines and acts of worship with which your faith tradition has not familiarized you. If you usually worship God in a calm and quiet way, try worshipping in a more energetic, celebratory way. If you typically worship in a manner that is loud and jumpy, try sitting in silence with God.

Second, take trips that will allow you to worship and experience God in new ways. Mission trips, service trips, and retreats are just a few examples. Go to a culture, a city, or a neighborhood where you can see people worshipping God in ways that are different from your norm, and join them in worshipping.

Third, go to a worship activity of a group outside your faith tradition. This can be scary for some of us, especially if we grew up learning that our own little group of Christians is the only group going to heaven. However, remember that you don’t have to agree with someone on every issue in order to worship with that person. If that were necessary, each congregation would have just one member! God has worked through various groups of believers in multiple ways, and we get to benefit from a rich and diverse faith.

You don’t have to do all three of these. You might choose not to do any of them, of you might decide to do one or two. I have tried all of them, and God has blessed me through these experiences. I have grown closer to God through them, and they have increased my understanding of faith and worship.

I often hear people talking about “getting out of our comfort zones.” I encourage you to do so. See God in a new way, and take off your shows, for you are standing on holy ground.

Cherokee Proverb (from Elizabeth Goble)

One of my relatives posted this Cherokee proverb on Facebook yesterday:

“An elderly Cherokee was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, ‘A fight is going on inside of me. It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil–he is fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and ego. The other is good–he is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, patience, and faith. The same fight is going on inside every other person.’ His grandchildren thought about this for a minute, and then one child asked, ‘Which wolf will win, Grandfather?’ The old Cherokee replied softly, ‘The one you feed.’”

This is something about human experience that apparently is common in many worldviews, and we Christians know it well. Indeed, there exists within us a battle between good and evil. Read Galatians 5:16-26.

I pray that God will daily empower you to feed the good wolf!

A Cherokee Proverb (Part 1)”An elderly Cherokee was teaching his grandchildren about life… He said to them, ‘A fight is going on inside of me.’ It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil—he is fear, ange…r, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and ego.

Christian Books?

I’m sitting in Christian Supply, a local bookstore. I enjoy this atmosphere, where I can sip coffee, borrow new books, access the Internet, hear soothing music in the background, and, yes, watch people.

Just a few minutes ago, someone in the store stole my attention from the biblical poetry I was studying. A woman standing below the “Best Sellers” sign reached toward a Karen Kingsbury novel and said, “Kingsbury… They’re Christian books.”

And I wondered, what characteristics distinguish “Christian” books from “non-Christian” ones? Of course, I could be overly-critical here and ask how a book could commit to following Christ; I remember someone once telling me that a university could not be Christian because it had not been baptized!

I do NOT advise you to dunk your books! However, I am wondering what makes a book “Christian” and what the alternative options are. What is it about a Christian book that qualifies it as Christian?

Any thoughts??

Singles Ministry

A few weeks ago, Bobby Ross of The Christian Chronicle sent a mass email asking about singles ministry. I responded with some reflections, and he decided to publish my comments as a separate “online exclusive” article. You may read it by clicking here. Then you might want to check out the links to related stories. Happy reading!

Gosselin, Sanford, and Marriage

This week, two situations of marital conflict have risen to the top ranks of news headlines.

Jon and Kate Gosselin, the stars of the popular reality TV show, Jon & Kate Plus Eight, filed for divorce, and various media made their decision public. Both of them stated that their primary concern is the welfare of their children, and Kate specified, “My goal is peace for the kids.” This couple who espoused family values on the TV show has now given up on the sanctity of marriage. You can access one of the many stories about this divorce by clicking here.

Further down the east coast from the Gosselins’ Pennsylvania home, the governor of South Carolina, the state in which I live, also brought his family into the spotlight this week when news of his affair became a topic of public criticism. Gov. Mark Sanford’s affair has been going on for a while, but it hit the headlines this week after he disappeared without notifying his office or family of his whereabouts. It turns out that he was out of the country, apparently continuing his affair, after his wife, Jenny Sanford, had asked him to leave the family for a temporary separation with hopes of reconciliation. While we are uncertain about Mark Sanford’s desire for reconciliation, I respect his wife’s comments. She is committed to doing what she can to make the marriage work, and she said in her public statement, “I believe enduring love is primarily a commitment and an act of will, and for a marriage to be successful, that commitment must be reciprocal.” You can read her statement by clicking here.

Perhaps the Gosselins and the rest of us could learn from Jenny Sanford’s wise words about love and marriage. Indeed, as we glean from the authors of the Bible and from later Christian writers, marriage should be a love that is, in Mrs. Sanford’s words, “a commitment and an act of will.” A married person must everyday make the decision again and again to be faithful to his or her spouse, in many ways, despite any tempting alternatives from outside the marriage covenant and any difficulties or frustrations within that covenant relationship. That kind of love is similar to the kind God demonstrates and invites us to live with Him and, to varying extents, with other people, especially those with whom we have entered into God-ordained covenants. Every marriage inevitably has ups and downs, times when the couple feels an emotional euphoria and times when they feel the opposite. However, a true relational commitment rises above the temporary feelings and chooses to remain faithful and responsible, for the sake of everyone involved.

This may seem strange to our culture of self-centeredness and insistence on immediate gratification of momentary feelings. We tend to think that God wants spouses to be “happy” in their marriages, and we define “happiness” as superficial and individual gratification. When we experience less-than-”happy” times in marriage, we tend to at least consider seeking that muddled ideal of “happiness” somewhere outside the marital covenant.

However, as author Gary Thomas asks in Sacred Marriage, “What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?” Our goal as Christians is to grow closer to God, and remaining faithful in our marriages can help people do exactly that, if the spouses are committed together to God. Perhaps we should view marriage as a spiritual practice that can teach us something about God and strengthen our relationships with God, while simultaneously leading spouses closer to each other, for God’s sake, for their own sake, for the sake of their children, and for the sake of the world in which God desires to use their marriage as a testimony of his faith, hope, love, grace, and peace.

If you are married or planning to get married or thinking about getting married sometime, I pray that you will remember that marriage is a commitment that sometimes (hopefully often) involves positive feelings but is more than emotions and requires “an act of will” to rise above and survive the negative feelings in order to remain faithful as Christians, spouses, and parents (if you have children).

However, this applies to both married and single Christians. Love is a commitment that we can live out in a multitude of relationships–in families, among friends, in congregations, and with our non-yet-Christian neighbors, coworkers, and classmates who need to see God’s love lived out in the flesh by faithful disciples of His Son.

May God empower us through the Holy Spirit to live His kind of love.

Summer BDG at SMC

Today I received approval from the Spartanburg Methodist College (SMC) Chaplain to initiate a Bible discussion group (BDG) for students this summer. The past few weeks, I’ve been increasing my time on that campus, and the people I’ve met are fantastic. This summer BDG is a promising opportunity to help students grow in their faith. I have invited a few students and encouraged them to invite their friends. We still need to decide when and where to meet each week. Please pray that God will use this group to bring glory to Him and to empower students to more faithfully follow His Son through the power of His Spirit.

If you’re on Facebook, you can access the group profile by clicking here.