adam.riggins

Christianity Today interviewed Barack Obama recently, and the interview revealed his true colors about where he stands spiritually. I really respect this guy. From the interview:

“I am a Christian, and I am a devout Christian. I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life. But most importantly, I believe in the example that Jesus set by feeding the hungry and healing the sick and always prioritizing the least of these over the powerful.”

I get the feeling that he has a string faith that is real, but he is not using it as a tool for political advancement. I respect that a lot. Using your faith as a political tool is something that cheapens the power of the Cross.

Read the interview.

I don’t mean Christianity.

What I am referring to in the title is the empty religious things we do for no reason whatsoever besides the fact that a long time ago, someone sat down and decided we should do them. And also maybe to hide ourselves. Some examples:

1. In church today, we had to “stand for the reading of God’s Word”. I am all for giving respect where respect is due, but does that mean that when I am at home reading Scripture, that I should stand all the time? Why on Sunday in church and not any other time?

2. It has been said in my church that if you are in a leadership position at the church, then you need to make sure you dress up on Sunday. For that matter, a lot of people think they have to dress up on Sunday just to go to church. Why is that? When God sees me, he sees a naked, sinful man. That is how he sees all of us since that is our nature. “Dressing up” for God seems so superficial since he sees through our feeble attempts to look nice. Would wearing pajamas or flip-flops be offensive to Him? It’s closer to how I really look.

3. I sometimes feel like people I see on Sundays in church are there to check the “God thing” off of the list. Everyone smiles, no one has any problems. Life is perfect with the 2.5 kids,white picket fence, and the safe neighborhood. The reality is that many families or individuals have a great deal of problems they struggle with constantly, but we, and I do include myself here at times, do our best to hide our sin and struggles.

I think Casting Crowns said it best:

Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small

Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they’ll soon discover
That I don’t belong

So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone who’s been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who’s traded
In the altar for a stage

The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart

Religion is what causes an unbelieving world to be just that.  They see us as acting “religious” and perfect, only to blatantly go against it later on.   I guess what I am getting at here is that a lot of us try to hide behind religion and religious things a lot so we don’t have to confront the very sin that we are living in. What would happen if we invited Jesus in to break through the superficiality of our lives? Would it set us free? I think so.

Relationship, not religion.  That’s what I say.

I just read an article on Fox News that really has me sad and disappointed. First off, the article:
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Baptist Convention Expels North Carolina Church for Welcoming Gays

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Delegates to the Baptist State Convention have voted overwhelmingly to expel a Charlotte church for welcoming gays and lesbians without trying to change them.Myers Park Baptist Church became the first to be kicked out under rules passed at last year’s meeting. Those rules say any Baptist church that affirmed or endorsed homosexual behavior would be considered not to be cooperating with the convention.

The vote by the nearly 3,000 delegates came after two of the church’s leaders called on them to open their hearts to homosexuals who want to worship with them and to respect local autonomy in interpreting the Bible.

But convention president Allan Blume told the meeting that the Bible calls on believers to turn away from sin. He also suggested that Myers Park Baptist was mostly interested in seeking publicity for its views, not in trying to work within the Baptist State Convention.

Source: Fox News

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What bothers me here is how Blume says that the Bible calls us to turn from sin. Yes, that is correct, but at the same time, we ALL have sin that we either struggle with or have become so accustomed to that we forget it is sin. With that line of thought, the church should be turning everyone away. What about the alcoholic? The divorcee?

I guess that as a Christian, I am tired of Christianity that is so harsh in judging others for not being absolutely perfect. That is what is making the church less and less relevant to the world as days go by, and we need to turn it around. We need to be preaching a Gospel of love that says that no matter what, there is nothing that “w

ill be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).

A church has made several parody commercials similar to the “I’m a Mc” ads on TV. They depict a Christian and a Christ Follower, and they are really good. Here is one:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RtfNdg1fQk]

See the rest…