Encouraging Signs

When I preached this past Friday night, two of my friends from Toastmasters came (a married couple who serve as leaders for the group). They normally attend a Unitarian Universalist church, and though I preached a sermon that dealt with mankind's hatred of God and sole hope in Jesus, they came away with glowing praise and told other folks at Toastmasters about the visit.

Speaking of Toastmasters, our next meeting was the following Monday. I gave a speech entitled "Is Christianity in Decline?" based on a blog post I wrote about that topic earlier in the week. After the meeting, I struck up a conversation with my waiter and we talked for about 30-40 minutes. He grew up in a legalistic church, went off to UW-Madison for college and left Christianity behind, and has since been struggling to put his life back together alongside his girlfriend. She is pregnant.

They are potentially looking for a church, but a place where they will not be judged and ridiculed. The faith of their youth continues to testify to the God of grace, but they doubt whether there is room in the heart or church of Christ for them. I had coffee with the young man today and tried to walk him back through the man-centered, works-oriented Christianity of his youth and redefine all he learned in light of Scripture. They will hopefully come to our church on Sunday. Please pray!

Yesterday, as I ordered a cup of coffee at a local bakery and awaited a dear brother in the faith to debate the issue of baptism, the woman at the counter looked at me and said "You're a pastor, right?" "Yup." "Could you see if anyone needs a part-time job in our bakery? We need somebody." "Sure, I'd love to get the word out."

"By the way, I'm having a hard time right now." "Why's that?" "I grew up Catholic and raised my first daughter in the church, but didn't raise my second daughter in the church and don't really go anymore. My parents are made at me. And now my younger daughter wants to know what I believe and why we're not going to church."

"Children often ask us the questions we really don't want to answer. Maybe it's time to think over these things and evaluate if this Christianity thing is actually true for your daughter's sake and yours. Why don't you come over for dinner some time and we'll ask you questions and help you think through the matter?" Let's hope we can get them over! (And if anybody needs a part-time, late night job in the Falls, let me know.)

After my coffee time with the young waiter this morning, I swung by Gents Barbershop on Main St. for my monthly high and tight from Nick Papageorgio. He's married to a woman who grew up in a Dutch Reformed church in Oostburg, but they no longer attend a church. We always have a good chat when I come in, and he cuts the hair of a lot of the friends I have made in the community. Today, he announced after my trim that the haircut was on the house. It's the small things. Awesome barber.

Tonight, we had dinner with our young neighbor friends and their little boy (a year older than ours). Our boy was wired and running around everywhere and casually rode a car down a stairwell, which ended with strewn car parts and a boy on his back at the bottom. Despite the distraction and stress that his antics caused, we had a surprisingly substantive conversation with our friends. We learned about their Lutheran and Catholic upbringings (largely cultural and nominal), and their subsequent interest in Christianity now (she is taking membership classes at a Lutheran church). They said that they were interested in reading the Bible, but didn't have one. My wife will make sure they get both a regular Bible and a children's Bible in short order.

By the way, I inquired about a leadership position with Toastmasters if there was need, and I got this response from one of the leaders: You are exactly the kind of person who exudes Toastmaster leadership, a generous spirit, a willingness to engage, and an overall aptitude for fun.

I sometimes feel like a blur of energy out in the community and am often second-guessing things I say and do. This bit of encouragement goes a long way, by God's grace.

Finally, a shout out concerning my lovely wifey: This past weekend, we hosted three couples for dinner on Good Friday before I preached. We also hosted two couples and a single lady for Easter dinner. Alongside preparing these meals, my wife cooked lamb for the first time, made carrot cake and coffee cake from scratch, painted our dining room (for fun!!!), mothered two children, and worked on several articles. She is crazy and I love her for it.

A Few Considerations Before You Vote

I am not in the habit of endorsing particular candidates or legislation on a blog that deals mainly with matters of the faith. It is important to me that you hear Christ, and Him crucified, first and foremost.

That said, I would encourage you to ask certain questions of yourself and bring certain considerations with you into the voting booth:

1) We are a nation of laws, not of men. Those who claim the mantle of men, but not the laws, will have nothing to bind them from trampling men. Those who claim the mantle of the laws (i.e. the Constitution) will be bound to also guard the rights of men.

2) Do not think about your vote solely in terms of the current race. Rather, consider your vote in relation to the presidency. Who do you trust to uphold our laws and nominate judges to the Supreme Court who will do the same? Who do you trust to act on principle, not on popularity? Who do you trust to guide our soldiers into harm's way?

3) Be both principled and practical. You want a leader who shares your values, but will also work hard to achieve the practical outworking of those principles alongside the legislative branch.

4) Examine records closely. You are not only looking for one who shares your values, but also one who has experience guarding them. Beware politicians whose words do not reflect their record. Be wary of politicians who have recently evolved as well. Such evolving is allowed in politics (we are always learning), but are the changes coming from a point of principle or are they sheer politics?

5) Who is willing to stand against the popular fads? Those who bellyache about the tyranny of traditional values are at the same time imposing a tyranny of values to their liking. A wall of separation is being erected between our passions and our reason, and the politically correct orthodoxy that ensues will bring no tangible benefit. Who is willing to be courageous--not angry and uncouth--but courageous in standing athwart these forces and yelling "Stop!"

Finally, once you have voted, rejoice! The Lord has graciously given us a political and economic system that both generally work to guard life and liberty. Sure, they don't work perfectly, but no human system will produce Heaven. And if, God forbid, we are denied life or liberty (and the two are bound), rejoice! For there is a King and Kingdom that stand over and above all earthly thrones, and a salvation wrought not by the blood of revolutionaries, but by the blood of a Savior.

Are there less Christians in America?

At some point in the past year, a poll came out with this starting conclusion: Between 2007 and 2014, the percentage of American Christians dropped from 78% to 70%. As the overall population of the United States grew, the population of Christians shrunk. Data found here: http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/.

Before you rejoice or lament over such a dramatic shift, perhaps you should ask: Is this actually true?

Some of the data can be validated in part: For example, we know through denominational statistics that the mainline Protestant denominations are shrinking. This should not surprise us because these denominations have generally exchanged the historic "other-worldly" message of Christianity for a more palatable "this-worldly" message. A church becomes irrelevant when it has lost touch with the transcendent.

But a larger point must be made here: The decline here is not necessarily in the number of actual Christians, but in the number of people who identify as Christians. This is the true flaw in the study. How can you ask people if they are something if you don't define what that something is? It is totally subjective. If you ask me if I am fast, you are asking me to also define "fast." I could define it by a certain pace over a certain distance, or in comparison with other runners. My answer, however, will not tell you how fast I am but how fast I think I am.

Words have meaning, not just interpretations. In order to conduct an effective study of Christianity in America, you must first come up with some sort of standard definition of Christianity--perhaps "One who believes in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone for his or her salvation." Of course, all of that language is broad and could be unpacked. You could also further drill down and try to get past "nominal" (name-only) Christianity and ask questions about prayer, Bible reading, and church attendance. But these things are echoes, not at the essence, of Christianity.

According to historian Thomas Kidd in his book God of Liberty, the number of actual Christians throughout American history is much smaller than we often suppose. Using some of the same criteria as mentioned above, historians have speculated that the population of Christians in America has generally hovered around 15% of the population. That number may also be declining, but there is no way to determine that through asking people for their opinion of what group they belong to.

Of course, this rebuttal of the findings doesn't change the fact that less people consider themselves to be Christians. Might we speculate on alternative interpretations of why this is the case?

If those who hold to the core message of Christianity--the Gospel--have generally only made up about 15% of the American population, why would the vast majority of Americans consider themselves Christian? Well, Christianity used to be much more popular in American society than it is now. Politicians had to assert their (nominal) Christian credentials and "good Christians" (as if such a thing exists) were considered staples of their communities. Christianity was also closely intertwined with Americanism--to the extent that the untrained could would barely be able to tell them apart.

In past generations, the Christian label brought with it certain social benefits. The same cannot be claimed today in most areas of the country. Either you claim to be a tolerant Christian and not one of those evangelical Christians, or you face a certain degree of stigma and scorn. Christianity in its true form is no longer fashionable and more and more, faith in Christ comes with a cost.

I would argue that the decline in self-identified Christians is not a reflection of the number of actual Christians, but a reflection of the increasing cost of being a Christian. And with the increase of soft persecution--suppression of speech, economic retaliation, etc.--I would expect the number of self-identified Christians to continue to decline dramatically.

On the bright side, as Christian "morals" are no longer considered by many to be indispensable to American society, and as they are treated more as a hindrance to society, people will be forced to look at Christianity in terms of truthfulness rather than usefulness. It doesn't matter what sort of effect Christianity has on society--Is it true? A useful belief does not sustain people when it is no longer deemed useful. A true belief will sustain people regardless of whether it is deemed useful--for the Truth is mightier than the hoard.

Political Religion and Death

I recently attended a political prayer breakfast and was honored to be asked to read a selection of Scripture of my choosing. For those of you who know me, you know that Colossians 3:1-4 is my passage for such occasions. It doesn't exactly rally the political troops, but does hopefully put their political causes in proper perspective. With the Easter season in mind, I wrote a post on this topic for a DC-based political site: http://www.politicalstorm.com/political-religion/.

Unfortunately, as you might expect from a political prayer breakfast, there was a clear confusion between their political mission and Christ's earthly mission. When speaking of unethical journalists and the smear campaigns against their candidates, one politician asked the gathering to pray for these journalists "for they know not what they do." This is the language of Christ, referring to those who were crucifying Him. No politician is being crucified. We have no right to claim the unique cause of Christ with our own. No one stood with Him on that day. We were those the Savior prayed for, not those doing the praying. These lines must be maintained!

A few days later, we had the first official gathering of our newly-named Meetup group, "The Real Happy Hour." A young man from our church and I were joined again by our unbelieving, married friends (referred to in past posts). After a very heavy conversation last time, this talk was more light-hearted. The notable exception was a brief discussion on death. The husband, a former Army Ranger, didn't believe that death was worth thinking about because we can't do anything about it. The wife saw value in thinking about it in order to mentally prepare for it.

A brief thought: If we can't change something--say, the inevitability of death--does that mean that we shouldn't think about it? Or should we think about it in order to better understand it, cope with it, and somehow, to overcome it? Death, as horrible as it is, prompts us to consider why death is a pervasive reality and search for a hope that transcends death. Let us not flee such thoughts or discussions!

Speaking of death (as I so often do), I spent three days this past week in Eau Claire training for casualty notifications (knocking on a loved one's door with a soldier dies). We watched realistic portrayals about what such notifications would look like. I won't describe them here, but my heart was persistently squeezed like a sponge. Like the many funeral duties I have performed, I find solace in such duties in my relationship with the One who has defeated death for us. On the lone, Spring-like day I was in Eau Claire, I ran through the city and over some of the many bridges that stretch across it's rivers. And on that run, I ran as one spared from death's sting and the grave's victory.

Last night, we had three young couples to our house for dinner. One couple only came to truly know the Lord in the last two years. I love spending time with those who so vividly remember what it is like to be drawn from death to life. After dinner, I preached our Good Friday service at church and was grateful to see a married couple from our local Toastmasters chapter--Unitarians--in the pews. I prayed that the Lord would make me clear in presenting the hard and wonderful truths of the Gospel, and I trust He enabled me to do so for the sake of these friends and the glory of His name.

Tomorrow, my family's Easter dinner will be open to any who do not have a place to go. So far, we have three people signed up and fervently hope for more. We will dine upon lamb whilst remembering the Lamb who was slain for our sin and now reigns on high. If Christ is indeed raised and if we are indeed raised with Him, then neither politics nor death have the final claim upon us. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God. You may not believe that yet. But when He appears, so will you also appear with Him in glory. You will know it then. Amen and amen.

Why Baptize Babies

As I have engaged a brother on this issue recently, I would like to put to you, the reader, my basic rationale for why God's Word commands us to baptize the children of a believing parent.

What is baptism? The Westminster Shorter Catechism reminds us that "Baptism is a sacrament, wherein the washing with water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, doth signify and seal our ingrafting into Christ, and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord's" (#94). References: Acts 2:38-42; Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:26-27, etc.

The key thing to remember is that baptism is a sign and seal of the covenant of grace--a covenant made with Abraham for the salvation of all of God's people through Jesus Christ (Gen. 15). So who should receive this sign and seal? All members of the covenant of grace. Who are members of the covenant of grace?

In Colossians, baptism is closely tied to circumcision, the Old Testament sign and seal of the covenant of grace: "In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead" (2:11-12).

So who received circumcision in the Old Testament? Well, Abraham, the recipient of the covenant of grace, for one: "He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised" (Rom. 4:11-12).

Abraham received the sign and seal of the covenant of grace because of the righteousness that he had by faith, but that sign and seal was not for Abraham only. In the same passage (Gen. 17), God commanded Abraham to circumcise all men in his household--even Ismael! They were not all believers as Abraham was, but they were members of the covenant of grace by virtue of their relationship to Abraham. As one would expect from a God who manifests his grace through a covenant, He considers those who come into the family of faith or born into the family of faith to be members of the covenant.

Thus, God likewise commanded Abraham to circumcise his son, Isaac, at eight days old (Gen. 21). And this was an abiding command throughout the Old Testament. The children, by virtue of their parent's faith, were considered part of God's covenant of grace. Their bloody circumcision was like a sermon cut into their bodies, reminding them that either they or a substitute would have to be cut off for their sin. The sermon in their flesh cried out for an echo of response--to circumcise their hearts.

Eventually, Christ would Himself be their circumcision, cut off for their sake and ours. But while Christ's fulfillment of the symbolism of circumcision may have changed the form of the sign and seal of the covenant of grace from circumcision to baptism (Matt. 28), He did not change the substance of the sacrament. Baptism was clearly to function as a sign and seal like circumcision, and it's initial use in Acts was tied to the promise made to Abraham (for you and your children after you).

The covenant of grace was fundamentally the same in the New Testament as the Old--sinners were saved by grace through faith in Christ. The key difference was that God's people were no longer looking at a hazy picture of Christ on the horizon, but the historical picture of Christ on the cross--communicated through the preaching of the Word and sacraments.

In the same way, it must be inferred that the signs and seals of the covenant of grace were substantially still the same and the recipients of them still the same. Children were members of the covenant in the Old Testament. Imagine the controversy if such a change had been made! We should expect a command from Christ to do away with something so fundamental. The burden of proof is upon those who would assert that Christ changed the covenant in this way.

But He did not. The command given to Abraham concerning his children abideth still. The numerous household baptisms in Acts can be presumed to be like the household circumcision under Abraham. Again, the burden of proof lies upon those who would contend that the meaning of household with regard to the sacrament had somehow changed between the Old Testament and New, that children would no longer be included in that concept. Rather, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 7 that children are sanctified through a believing parent and are considered holy.

Like circumcision, baptism is a sermon written upon the flesh, reminding us that we will one day be submerged by the waters of death for our sin or another in our place. As with circumcision, this act and promise of God cries out for an echo: To embrace by grace and through faith the Christ who was submerged unto death. Every child of a believing parent--rightly considered a member of the covenant of grace--will have that sign and seal of baptism testify to them every day for the rest of their lives.

Paul compares baptism to the Exodus in 1 Corinthians 10. In the Exodus, men, women, and children passed through the waters of death with their mediator, Moses, at their head. The same waters swallowed up the Egyptians. In the same way, parents, send your children through the waters of baptism and regard them as holy (as our Lord does), knowing that such a powerful sermon written upon their flesh will likely reverberate into the echo of saving faith, and if not, will reverberate in their judgment for tasting of the Spirit's continual grace, yet rejecting it.

Should Your Church Be Diverse?

I participated in an urban ministry luncheon the other day at a Denny's in Milwaukee. In order to get there, I drove by a bustling bistro full of white people and past neighborhoods of detached homes with well-manicured lawns. Soon after passing under the highway, I was met by endless arrays of small apartment buildings and fast food restaurants. The luncheon took me from one side of the tracks to the other in what is reputed to be the most segregated city in the country.

Is this a problem? Don't most people naturally congregate with those who have the most culturally in common with them? If we took socio-economic factors out of the equation and the inner city was not the economically-ensnared hellhole that it has become, would the separation be that big of a deal?

For the church, it should be a big deal. The church is a culture primarily defined by Christ, not by race. We do not call people "brother" or "sister" because they share our race, but because they share our grace. We see in our diversity a foretaste of the heavenly wedding feast, where all tribes and tongues will have a place at the table. And we long to show a watching world that the Gospel is not a white man's religion (the fact that most Christians lives outside the West should attest to that).

At the same time, diversity should not be the primary focus of the Church. I have seen many a church lift up multi-racial hands of unity but not lift up the Lord and Savior of sinners. This is where we confuse our heavenly imagery. The tribes and tongues do not sit upon the throne, but before the throne. It is Jesus Christ, and Him alone, who draws sinners from every place unto Himself.

This is the tragedy of  most of what has been called "social justice" over the past couple of years. It has focused on horizontal reconciliation between men and not vertical reconciliation between man and God. The same Christ who reconciles man to God is the same Christ who then enables men to reconcile with one another!

As Christians, we should work to break down social barriers that have no place within the Church, where there is neither Greek nor Hebrew. Is should not be our governing cause, which is the glory of God in Christ, but it should be a cause nonetheless. This will not come through working in soup kitchen, where predominantly one race is behind the counter and one race on the side of the counter. This will not come through service projects that go to help needy blacks and Hispanics.

While such things are worthy tasks in and of themselves, they perpetuate the lie that one race is always on the giving end of grace and the others on the receiving end. The best thing we can do is initiate friendships, share table fellowship, and seek to learn rather than instruct. Love is not primarily material, but spiritual, and in that way, the most impoverished person has as much to give as the suburbanite. We are ALL needy for God's grace in Christ!

I met a 68 year old black pastor who has devoted much of the last 50 years of his life to ministering the Gospel in the worst neighborhood in Milwaukee. My theological education might be more robust than his and my doctrine a bit more precise, but I do not deserve to tie the man's shoes. All that I could teach about the Gospel are things already embedded heart-deep in this father in the faith.

If you are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ--if your heart's renewed desire is to see God glorified--then you will desire to see the Gospel drawing all peoples into your particular corner of His Church.

I remember leaving suburban California one summer for Malawi, Africa. In Escondido, I often felt like an alien. In Josophat Mwale Theological Institute, I felt like family. Few things will show you the grace and glory of God in this world more than how He draws the most diverse people into the most precious unity in Christ.

Hiding the Real You in the Smart You

What an encouraging week!

Amidst a wave of sicknesses that swept through our family (including my visiting in-laws), I received a lot of positive news on the professional front.

*I was appointed to the Menomonee Falls Library Board. I will now be working with a group of impassioned citizens to shape the direction of this venerable institution and social hub in the Falls.

*I am now regularly blogging for a new political website, which gives me an opportunity to channel my love for politics into something that doesn't interfere with the Lord's ministry at Falls Church.

*I have an interview tomorrow at the YMCA to discuss the possibility of leading a Boot Camp course. Like the library, the Y tends to be a social hub for the Falls.

In each of these things, the Lord has provided me with opportunities to use my meager gifts in His service, form greater contacts within the community, and earn more income for my family. It is amazing--the Lord's provision for our family has always been a provision in pieces. And such provision keeps us humble and grateful.

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I was running with another runner on our weekly Tuesday night run when he asked me about my other Meetup group, now named "The Real Happy Hour." I gave him the gist--a no-BS discussion group where we can talk about deep things. He told me that he grew up Roman Catholic and was thinking about returning to the church.

But, he said in a self-consoling manner, I still have faith and I think that's the most important thing. Naturally, we spent the last mile of our run talking about "faith in what?" Religion means nothing. For most of the world, religion is a system of belief built upon one's ability to do good and please God. Faith means nothing. For most of the world, faith is simply the belief in one's inner goodness and ability.

Faith in Jesus Christ is utterly distinct. Such faith recognizes that there is nothing in one's own heart worthy of trust or hope. It instead receives and recognizes Christ alone for salvation. And such faith is also a gift--the God-given instrument through which God grants sinners salvation (Eph. 2:8-9).

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A third runner was absent from these discussions, but joined me for a drink afterward to talk about the other Meetup group. We talked for a little while, but whenever I asked about his current relationship, he deferred. He said he likes talking religion and politics, but not personal things. I asked him if he uses topics like religion and politics to keep people from getting to know him.

I remember one guy who often came to our discussion Meetup in DC. He loved to debate religion (often obnoxiously), but refused to get personal. I would try to ask about his upbringing, his marriage, his children, but he would refuse. It's amazing that people are willing to talk about intellectual abstractions, but not let you near the personal experience that shapes their thinking!

My theory during that time was that the man was using his constant intellectual musings to deflect from anything personal. In a sense, he used his intellect as a barrier to keep him safe. And I think that we often do that. We use all manner of devices--from divulging almost everything about ourselves to constantly advancing meaningless intellectual arguments to emotional manipulation--all in the name of keeping people from seeing the real us.

The truth is that such deflections to make us look any prettier. And the nastiness we often think we're protecting is still nastiness that we love so much that we'll do anything to protect it. It is a perverse form of self-loathing self-love.

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That night concluded with several hours of good conversations with a brother from the church. He was going through a lot of hard circumstances and was often not handling them in the best ways. And he didn't hide any of it. He is a broken man, but he is God's broken man. Because he is broken--and he knows it--he can marvel every day at the grace of God and endeavor to do better. His failures teach him. When he sees his lack of grace, he sees God's abundance of grace. It's beautiful.

Like many of you, I struggle with my brokenness. I am ashamed of it and desire to cover it up. I want people to see a smart me, a strong me, a fake me--that is really no more attractive than the ugliness I hide. All of me belongs to Jesus. My life is hidden with Christ in God. He knows me, inside and out, and He loves me (Psalm 139). That means I can be who I am, because what I am is saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

The solution to our fear comes in knowing that we are always safe in Christ.