July 31, 2020
Singing Take Two: For more on our need to sing, you can access a Christianity Today article on this topic. It’s called, “Science and Scripture Agree: Singing Lifts Our Spirits.” You can access this sermon I preached a few years back.
Singing Take Three: Finally, here is a video to help align your heart. It’s an international version of “Behold our God.”
Campus Neutrality?: Thirty years ago—back when I was a college pastor—I had a few dustups with an Associate Dean. She kept insisting that our on campus meetings be “neutral.” I kept conceding that as a Christ-follower I was not “neutral” and then arguing that neither was she. My point—which I never got across—was that her “neutrality” was actually a specific worldview (secular humanism) and that there was no such thing as neutrality. I found myself thinking about her recently as a growing number of college faculty and staff are declaring that: 1) their previous views were wrongly skewed, and 2) promising that they will now teach from a more “enlightened perspective.” Alas, as this article from the Boston Globe suggests, they appear to have moved from bad to worse. Maybe neutrality wasn’t so bad!
Punishment: In the past, we have faced some combination of three simultaneous challenges: economic turmoil, a pandemic, civil unrest, or a contentious election. It is being suggested that we are now (for the first time) facing all four at once. Some are suggesting that we are doing so as punishment from God. Perhaps. However, while recognizing that some are facing real tragedy, it does not feel to me as though we should equate this moment with Europe during the Dark Ages or the U.S. during the Great Depression. Also, I am always nervous when people announce that God has sent something (a plague, tsunami, etc.) as punishment. How do they know? And punishment for what, exactly?
Can’t Sleep?: I seldom have difficulty sleeping, but a few nights ago I did. And so, after a bit of tossing and turning, I grabbed a book and headed down the hall. However, before I could crack the book I absentmindedly picked up my phone and skimmed the headlines and checked my Twitter feed. As decisions go, that ranks alongside Kennedy’s decision to invade Cuba. I was quickly wide awake and agitated. Fifty years ago when people couldn’t sleep, they assumed God wanted them to pray. When we can’t sleep, we check the Cubs score and start answering emails.
Everyday Miracles: Have you ever considered how amazing rain is? Imagine the cost of transporting water from the Pacific to the wheat fields of Kansas. God does it for free. He scoops up water from West of California, lifts it into the sky, blows it over Kansas, and drops it there for all to enjoy.
Without Comment: The law of unintended consequences never sleeps.
News: I am probably late with this complaint, but I’m not only miffed that the news is increasingly skewed by an agenda or that it assaults us 24×7, I am also frustrated that few reporters seem to do their own work. In the recent coverage of the death of Congressman John Lewis (the civil rights leader), no one I heard found reason to mention his faith. This is not a small miss. Lewis was mentored by MLK and trained to be a pastor. I did not line up with all of his theological convictions, but I found the coverage surprising. My guess is that many reporting the news are just parroting what they hear from other reports, or perhaps there is a deliberate decision to not mention such things.
This Link Works: Last week I launched 100 Points of Inflection, a weekly five-minute Saturday devotional based on the one hundred most important people, events and ideas in Church History. Unfortunately, I offered a sign up link that did not work. This one does. (BTW, here was the introductory video).
Closing Prayer: “Be a bright flame before me, O God, a guiding star above me. Be a smooth path below me, a kindly shepherd behind me today, tonight, and forever. Alone with none but you, my God I journey on my way; what need I fear when you are near, O Lord of night and day? More secure am I within your hand than if a multitude did round me stand. Amen.” Columba (521-597)
July 24, 2020
Happy Friday.
and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.
I am hand-copying the Gospel of John – ten verses a day – and in the process noticing things previously overlooked. Here is one: though the Samaritans initially came to hear Jesus because the woman at the well told them how amazing He was, He quickly wowed them on His own. Their experience was not unique. When you read the black letters after the red letters you’ll find Jesus left people amazed. “Who is this man! We’ve never heard someone speak like this before. He has such authority!” Lord, may we hear your voice and be likewise amazed.
The North Siders: The Cubs are in first place!
Religious Zeal: There is a lot of zeal out there, and some of it is spilling out in unhelpful ways. This shouldn’t shock us. We are religious people. Some of what we are seeing is what happens when zeal is poured out for something other than Christ. As G.K. Chesterton observed, “When we cease to believe in God, it’s not that we believe in nothing, it’s that we believe in everything.”
Cancelled: I am praying that as more cancellers are cancelled, more will collectively realize the genius of Christ’s admonition to treat others as we wish to be treated.
Entering Phase Four: The Hartford Institute for Religion Research released a summary of twenty studies about how churches are weathering the pandemic. If you want details, click here, but the names they use to list the phases tell you most of what you need to know: 1) we started with Lost and Reactive; 2) moved into Hardship but Hopeful; 3) that was followed by Resilient Stability and now we are entering 4) Exhaustion and Uncertainty. I like the sound of three much better than four!
Quotes Worth Requoting:
- If you give priority to the outer life, your inner life will be dark and scary. You will not know what to do with solitude. You will be deeply uncomfortable with self-examination, and you will have an increasingly short attention span for any kind of reflection. Even more seriously, your life will lack integrity: Outwardly, you will need to project confidence, spiritual and emotional health and wholeness, while inwardly you may be filled with self-doubts, anxieties, self-pity, and old grudges. Tim Keller
- America is a strange place. There are only 2 sides to every issue… so you must pick a side and then there is always conflict… there is no middle ground, not shades of gray.” Trevor Noah, South African born, late night host.
Ken Follett: In spite of book sales north of 160M, I had not heard of Ken Follett, a British author who writes about the Middle Ages, until recently. His novels cover some of the church’s darkest moments (e.g., the Inquisition) – so there is more than a bit to wince about. But I’ve enjoyed them anyway, and occasionally found something worth pondering. For instance, there was this line from A Column of Fire. “He was what the English called a “politician” – in French un politique – meaning, that he made decisions about religion according to what he thought was good for his country, rather than the other way around.”
The Daily Update: When COVID hit, I started a daily, five-minute, video devotion – here was yesterday’s – to stay in touch during COVID. I recently decided to keep these going indefinitely. In fact, starting tomorrow, I am adding a special Saturday devotion called One Hundred Inflection Points that will examine the most significant people, events and ideas of the last two thousand years. If you want to sign up to get these (the M-F biblical devotions and the Saturday church history devotions come as a package), click here. (This is free.)
Vanity?: Did you know that 1/3 of American men recently said they would be willing to try makeup for Zoom calls, and that younger generations take over 100 million selfies a day.
A Wish: I wish we lived in a society that took Kanye’s mental illness more seriously than his presidential run.
BLM / MLK / Etc.: Discussions about race in general – and Black Lives Matter in particular – remain the source of most responses to this newsletter. Having mentioned that, let me note two things:
- Last week I said, “I’m doubling down on what I wrote: 1) Christ-followers must find ways to celebrate the dignity of black people and better understand the unique challenges they face; and 2) we must listen carefully to the agendas of any political organization we support.” I should have used the word examine not listen.
- In advance of some upcoming discussions on race, I’ve been talking to friends, listening to pod casts about race, and reading books – all about race. And I am doing so from voices on both the left and the right. The more people I take in on race, racism, racial tension, etc., the more I marvel at the moral wisdom and courageous leadership of Martin Luther King.
Closing Prayer: Dear Jesus, Overflow doesn’t always define my life these days, but oh, how I want it to. I pray that your extension of friendship to me would wow my heart today, that you would cause the overflow of joy I so desperately desire. I want to represent you well. I want my life to be irresistible, just as yours was when you busied yourself on earth. I know my joy comes in direct proportion to my closeness to you, so please draw near. I do want to be your friend, Jesus. As I survey today, help me prepare my heart to meet it with gusto, fueled by the strength of the Holy Spirit. Help me to rest in knowing that you have already called me your friend, and that my appropriate response is to interact as a friend would—listening and sharing my day. But our friendship is more than that because you are God and I am not. You have things you want me to do: tasks to perform, people to love, a life to live wholeheartedly. I show you my friendship by my obedience to you, the holy one. Amen. (Ed Gant)
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July 17, 2020
Happy Friday.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress.
Psalm 18:2
The Psalms regularly refer to God as our refuge. David does so in Psalms 2, 7, and 18. In the Psalm 2, he finds comfort with God’s assurance of a good ending; in Psalm 7, he relaxes after reminding himself of God’s control over his troubled circumstances. In Psalm 18, he rests after rehearsing God’s faithfulness in the past. During this season of crazy-making, we are wise to follow David into the refuge God offers.
Question: Did I miss the memo about a second wave of COVID in July? I thought the second wave was scheduled for the fall.
Worship Shifting: COVID has brought with it new words and phrases: herd immunity, social distancing, flattening the curve, contact tracing, covidiots, PPE, etc. One of the latest is worship shifting. It refers to those who have gravitated to the online services of a different church. I have mixed feelings about shifters. I’m glad when anyone finds a resource that feeds their soul and excited when people curate their own development—mixing Tim Keller and John Mark Comer sermons with Hillsong worship. But when a church 1,500 miles away becomes a person’s main connection, it’s all a bit shortsighted. YouTube services only work until a crisis hits. We need people who know our name and can visit us in the hospital.
Disruption not Interruption: COVID was initially thought to be an interruption—i.e., after it blew through, things would go back to normal. Most now accept that it has permanently remade the terrain. What’s more, pundits now observe that COVID fast tracked changes not previously due to arrive until 2025. It’s all a bit unsettling. I was having a hard enough time keeping up before we started skipping ahead.
Fauxnerability: In this piece, Christian therapist Chuck DeGroat notes the difference between vulnerability and its weaker sister, fauxnerability. Sharing specific and sometimes painfully honest things about our brokenness is an example of the first. Saying, “I’m a sinner,” or “My heart is an idol factory” is an example of the second. Both admissions may be accompanied with tears, but only the first leads to deep friendships and healthy small groups. Sometimes sharing 90 percent of the story is not really sharing at all.
As Expected: I disappointed people on both sides of the aisle with last week’s comments about Black Lives Matter. The left was frustrated that I didn’t say, “Black lives matter” and stop there. The right found me naïve for engaging the phrase. I didn’t expect to find a happy middle ground, nor was I trying to make both sides happy. I was simply trying to map a path forward. After reading all who responded, I’m doubling down on what I wrote: 1) Christ-followers must find ways to celebrate the dignity of black people and better understand the unique challenges they face; and 2) we must listen carefully to the agendas of any political organization we support.
Wisdom from Sam Harris: New atheists Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, and Sam Harris were dubbed the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, so you might think it odd that I cite one of them favorably in this update. But I appreciate the clarity Sam Harris brings early in his Letter to a Christian Nation. There he writes, “Let us be honest with ourselves; in the fullness of time, one side is going to really win this argument, and the other side is really going to lose.” Yes, either God exists, Jesus rose from the dead, and He will bring His kingdom—or not. And what we believe about this should shape our life and purpose.
HBS Professor Clayton Christensen on Religious Freedom: I am a fan of the late Professor Christensen who died just a few months ago. Indeed, I’ve handed out his book How Will I Measure My Life? as a pre-evangelistic conversation starter for the last few years. I had forgotten about his ninety second video about religious freedom. I thought it was insightful when it came out ten years ago. I think it’s even more prescient now.
The Great “Awokening:” A few weeks ago I noted that the Cancel Culture was cannibalizing itself. A lot has happened since then. To read Ross Douthat’s exploration of this movement, click here. To read the open letter Harpers will publish on the topic (in which 150 mostly liberals express alarm over liberalism’s growing illiberalism), click here. To read former WSJ writer Bari Weiss’s recent letter of resignation from the NYT—because she grew weary of her colleagues efforts to cancel her—click here. Perhaps recent attention will encourage people to douse their torches and set down their pitch forks (I doubt it). Whether that happens or not, Christ’s followers must love even those cancelling them. Easier said than done.
It’s not about you: In this post, J.D. Greear reminds us that we are not the star of our story; we are just minor characters. When we think otherwise, we mess up everything.
Closing Prayer: “Be kind to your little children, Lord. Be a gentle teacher, patient with our weakness and stupidity. And give us the strength and discernment to do what you tell us, and so grow in your likeness. May we all live in the peace that comes from you. May we journey toward your city, sailing through the waters of sin untouched by the waves, borne serenely along by the Holy Spirit. Night and day may we give you praise and thanks, because you have shown us that all things belong to you, and all blessings are gifts from you. To you, the essence of wisdom, the foundation of truth, be glory for evermore. Amen.” Clement of Alexandria, 150-215
July 10, 2020
If we are only broken, we slip into self-loathing; if we are only contrite, we become self-satisfied. Both are forms of self-absorption. The goal isn’t to think less of ourselves, it is to think of ourselves less.
Redeeming Your Commute? One of the pluses of the pandemic was replacing the drive downtown with a walk down the hall. As we start to make the drive again, it is worth asking: how can I best use that time? Silence? Listening to Scripture? An hour of ESPN? Though we are all anxious to get back, it would be a shame if we showed up unchanged.
Black Lives Matter: “Black lives matter” is both a great mantra and a theological truth. Furthermore, given the deaths of Floyd, Arbery, Taylor, et al., I am among those who think saying “all lives matter” or “blue lives matter” misses the point. (When the Boston Marathon was bombed, social media touted Boston Strong, not All Cities Strong). That said, I am not sure what the statement “Black Lives Matter” means when I see it on signs, in posts, covering face masks, or painted on basketball courts. Am I being asked to stand alongside black people? Yes! Am I being asked to say we can and must do better as a country? Yes! Yes! Am I being asked to endorse the agenda of the Black Lives Matter organization – aspects of which I find deeply troubling? No!
Genesis 1 vs. Genesis 3: Based on news reports, it’s clear that a lot of people expect Genesis 1. I long for it—that or Revelation 22. Alas, we live in a Genesis 3 world.
Perspective: According to World-O-Meter, so far this year 439,467 people have died from water-related diseases; 254,454 have died of seasonal flu; 22,196,048 have died from abortions; 877,289 have died of HIV/AIDS; 4,286,044 have died of cancer; 511,889 have died of malaria; 1,305,277 have died of/from alcoholism. And 550,000 from COVID-19.
The Church: The church is at once a cause, a community, and a corporation. These days when the community is not meeting much, and the cause is mostly being carried online, it seems like people like me spend their days in Zoom meetings discussing the corporation. Ugh. I consider the corporation an important part of the church and believe that when corporate things are done well the cause and community are more likely to flourish. But the next pastor I meet who went into ministry to focus on the corporation will be the first one I meet. Beam me up, Scotty.
Pastoring at the Moment: Since I started whining, let me continue. Some claim a pun is the lowest form of humor. A friend disagrees. He thinks “pastor humor” is painfully worse and suggests the only two reasons anyone ever laughs during a sermon is 1) out of sympathy or 2) because their expectations are so low that a bad joke seems stellar. Perhaps. But… this is different. This video is not technically pastor humor, just humor involving pastors. BTW, I’m quite sure it’s fake. And for what it’s worth, I don’t feel this way 24×7—only several times a week.
Democracy: Churchill famously declared that “a democracy is the worst form of government… except for all of the other forms of government.” In The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis suggests the reason to value democracy is not because people are wise and good and deserve a voice, but because “fallen men [are] so wicked that not one of them can be trusted with any irresponsible power over his fellows.”
After Further Review: Last week’s link to Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s WSJ editorial Even the Bible is Full of Flawed Characters drew two responses. Those who focused on the main point—i.e., that we are all desperately broken—loved it. Those who saw an implied endorsement of Confederate monuments did not. FYI, I linked it to affirm the first. My apologies to any offended by the suggestions of the second.
Closing Prayer: “Lord, let me love, though love may be the losing of every earthly treasure I possess. Lord, make your love the pattern of my choosing. And let your will dictate my happiness. I have no wish to wield the sword of power, and I want no man to leap at my command; nor let my critics feel constrained to cower for fear of some reprisal at my hand. Lord, let me love the lowly and the humble, forgetting not the mighty and the strong; and give me grace to love those who may stumble, nor let me seek to judge of right or wrong. Lord, let my parish be the world unbounded, let love of race and clan be at an end. Let every hateful doctrine be confounded that interdicts the love of friend for friend. Amen.” C. Eric Lincoln (1924 – 2000)
July 3, 2020
Careful Thinking: Years ago I had a chance to interview John Stott. It didn’t go well. He was gracious, and his answers were profound, but I could tell he didn’t think much of my questions. Later that day I heard him say, “generalities are the refuge of a weak mind.” I couldn’t help but think he was remembering the interview. Ouch. But upon review, I realized he was right. I’ve thought about his comments a lot lately. I doubt “Uncle John” would be surprised by today’s discourse. I am certain he would be disappointed.
Hammerhead Sharks: In middle school I wrote a report on hammerhead sharks. About all I remember is that they’re one of nature’s true cannibals, even occasionally eating their young. I thought about them this week after watching the Cancel Culture start to consume itself. You’d be disappointed in me if I told you how much joy I found in that, so I will keep those thoughts to myself and direct you instead to this WSJ editorial by New York’s Archbishop, Timothy Dolan. It’s entitled, Even the Bible is Full of Flawed Characters, and it’s available here.
July! I’m not sure if I like this because it’s funny or because it’s prophetic.
Our Hope to be Holy: I started this update by citing Hebrews 12. Lest you think I think we can raise our game on our own, let me cite C.S. Lewis. In Mere Christianity he notes that the Christian life is not about “reading what Jesus said and then trying to carry it out” in our own strength. Instead, “The real Son of God is at your side. He is beginning to turn you into the same kind of thing as Himself. He is beginning, so to speak, to ‘inject’ His kind of life and thought, His Zoe [life], into you; beginning to turn the tin soldier into a live man. The part of you that does not like it is the part that is still tin.” Away with tin. Bring the life!
A Simple Request: I’m still waiting for Congress to pass a law preventing global and national crises from overlapping.
Quotes Worth Requoting: The New Testament proclaims that at some unforeseeable time in the future, God will bring down the final curtain on history, and there will come a Day on which all our days and all the judgments upon us and all our judgments upon each other will themselves be judged. The judge will be Christ. Frederick Buechner:
Clueless: And here is a report to make you feel old, clueless or confused. Forbes recently reported that Esports revenues are about to break $1 billion and that audiences are already greater than American football and rugby combined. It’s 40% annual growth suggest it may soon become “the most financially lucrative market on the planet.” If you want to read the article, click here. If you have no idea what I am writing about and need a definition of esports, click here.
Closing Prayer: O Lord, who else or what else can I desire but you? You are my Lord, Lord of my heart, mind, and soul. You know me through and through. In and through you, everything that is finds its origin and goal. You embrace all that exists and care for it with divine love and compassion.
Why, then, do I keep expecting happiness and satisfaction outside of you? Why do I keep relating to you as one of my many relationships, instead of my only relationship, in which all other ones are grounded? Why do I keep looking for popularity, respect from others, success, acclaim, and sensual pleasures? Why, Lord, is it so hard for me to make you the only One? Why do I keep hesitating to surrender myself totally to you?
“Help me, O Lord, to let my old self die, to let me die to the thousand big and small ways in which I am still building up my false self and trying to cling to my false desires. Let me be reborn in you and see through the world in the right way, so that all my actions, words, and thoughts can become a hymn of praise to you.
I need your loving grace to travel on this hard road that leads to the death of my old self to a new life in and for you. I know and trust that this is the road to freedom. Amen. Henri Nouwen
June 26, 2020
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”Hebrews 13:8In a world where crises catch us by surprise and erode foundations we thought quite stable, it’s important to remind ourselves that Jesus is rock solid.
Blue, Blue, Blue: Apparently a thousand “We’re In This Together” yard-signs have not buoyed people’s moods. Studies suggest we’re all a bit lonely and grumpy. Indeed, the percentage of people saying they are “very happy” is down while the number who say they are “losing their temper more often” is up. It turns out that if you take away people’s jobs, friends, and mobility, they are less happy. One wonders where we’d be without studies like this to help us understand what is going on.
Correction: Last week, I noted that “God’s love for us tells us much about Him and less about us.” That part was true. Unfortunately, I then erroneously suggested this is because His love is “object-generated, not subject-elicited.” Wrong. It’s the opposite. God’s love is subject-generated and not object-elicited. He loves us because He is love and not because we are lovable. BTW, I also used rift when the word should have been riff. (If only people paid this much attention to my sermons!)
Quotes Worth Requoting:
- “When we find ourselves deficient in wisdom, it is not because the Word of God has pages missing, but because we have not seen all there is on the pages we have. It is not another book we need, but better attention to the Book we have; it is not more knowledge we require, but better vision to see what has already been revealed in Jesus Christ.” Eugene Peterson.
- “The only bloodshed that can heal in these (or any) times is the shed blood of Christ.” John Perkins
- “In the absence of a biblical morality a new elite will always come forward to dictate arbitrary absolutes to society.” Francis A. Schaeffer
Race Matters: I spent a good part of the last two weeks reading and talking about race. It is distressing for several reasons: 1) I thought I was more aware of the hurt, pain, challenges, and injustices than I actually was—the bad news is greater than I realized; 2) there is not a lot of common ground out there; and 3) many are only willing to talk if your views—and your level of outrage—matches theirs, whatever theirs happens to be. The good news is that racial challenges highlight opportunities to get better. And we need to get better.
MLK Jr. I do not set out to make people mad, but there may be something in this piece – called The Friend We Need but Do Not Want – to offend everyone.
Crises: I’ve previously mentioned that I’d started a “COVID file” only to watch it subdivide into six smaller folders (the virus, economic impact, impact on church, etc., etc.). I also recently created a folder for Crises. My COVID files now live alongside files on the 2020 Economy, Race Relations, Protests, and something temporarily called Post-Liberalism. (I’m not yet sure Post-Liberalism deserves a file, or even what it is, but it seems to be a thing and it doesn’t sound good. BTW, I don’t like being a guy with a crisis file.
Close… Well Not Really: Today’s headlines suggest that we’re back to believing in sin. They also suggest we think it’s bad. If only we were more bothered by our own sin than that of other people.
Closing Prayer: O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” The Book of Common Prayer
June 19, 2020
Love: God’s love for us tells us much about Him and less about us. That is because it is object-generated, not subject-elicited. In a similar way, who we love says more about us than it does about them. Note: We are to be characterized by this love and extend it even to our enemies.
Questions: A journalist once asked the Jewish writer Elie Wiesel, “I have noticed that you Jews often answer questions by asking another question. Why do you do that?” Wiesel responded, “Why not?”
March 11 and May 25: While not exactly 12.07.41 or 9.11.01, two dates recently joined their ranks: 3.11.20 is the day COVID became real (it’s on this day we learned that Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, were infected and that the NBA was suspending its season). And 5.25.20 is the day George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis.
The Sins of the Preacher: It is said that you can tell what a pastor is struggling with by what they rail against. Perhaps. I try to be transparent—but not too transparent! However, it is not lost on me that during the last few weeks I have been writing, speaking, and thinking about resilience. Here it is again. Many of you will recognize this rift as soon as it starts, but it’s helpful to review all the same. “There was a man who faced a number of setbacks. In 1831, he tried his hand at business but the business went south; so in 1832 he tried politics but lost the election for a legislative seat; in 1833, he went back into business… and again, he failed, so 1834 he went back to politics and this time he was elected. But in 1835, his girlfriend died and in 1836 he had a nervous breakdown. In 1838, he picked up the pieces and tried to get elected legislative speaker… and failed. In 1840, he tried to get elected legislative elector but failed. In 1843, he ran for Congress. Failed. In 1846, he was elected to Congress, but in 1848 he lost his bid for re-election. In 1855, he was defeated for the Senate. In 1856, he was defeated for Vice President. And in 1858 he was again defeated for the Senate. If this were you, would you keep trying? He did, and in 1860 he was successful in his bid for the office of the President of the United States of America. Today, his picture is on every five dollar bill and his image is on every penny coined in the last 100 years.
Statistics: I got some blowback from last week’s list of stats. For those of you who sent me Twain’s quote – i.e., lies, damned lies, and statistics – I say, “yes.” Context and backstory change much. But my goal was (is) to introduce ideas that do not fit your narrative, whatever that happens to be. BTW after last week’s stats, one reader noted that one friend told her that she balances CNN with MSNBC. While another independently reported she balances FOX with Rush Limbaugh and Catholic Radio. I’d like to be invited to the dinner party where they get seated next to each other.
Resources: In an email to the church I listed a number of resources I found helpful on topics of race. The list is not comprehensive, nor did I claim to agree with every idea advanced. But I found these helpful and passed them along. I pass this same list on to you:
• Book: Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America. When this book came out 20 years ago, it profoundly reshaped my understanding of my world. I have recommended it often.
• Short Video: Robin DiAngelo is the author of White Fragility. In this 7 minute video, she summarizes her book’s thesis.
• Longer Video: This past week I asked Dr. Peter Cha, a professor at Trinity, to lead our staff in a discussion about race. We video-taped his presentation, which I found very helpful. (My apologies for my introduction of Peter. This is what someone looks like when they have no idea they are being recorded!)
• Movie: Ten years ago I heard Bryan Stevenson speak, and I immediately set to work trying to line him up to speak at Christ Church. I failed, but only because he was so busy. I was thrilled when his story was turned into a major motion picture Just Mercy. It is streaming free on Amazon Prime Video during the month of June.
• Lecture / Discussion: This discussion between Tim Keller (best-selling author and pastor in NYC) and Bryan Stevenson is a wonderful way to process the movie.
Quotes Worth Requoting: “I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; while the evil is permanent.” Mahatma Gandhi
Closing Prayer: “Lord, we pray this day mindful of the sorry confusion of our world. Look with mercy upon this generation of your children so steeped in misery of their own contriving, so far strayed from your ways and so blinded by passions. We pray for the victims of tyranny, that they may resist oppression with courage. We pray for wicked and cruel men, whose arrogance reveals to us what the sin of our own hearts is like when it has conceived and brought forth its final fruit. We pray for ourselves who live in peace and quietness, that we may not regard our good fortune as proof of our virtue, or rest content to have our ease at the price of other men’s sorrow and tribulation. We pray for all who have some vision of your will, despite the confusions and betrayals of human sin, that they may humbly and resolutely plan for and fashion the foundations of a just peace between men, even while they seek to preserve what is fair and just among us against the threat of malignant powers. Amen.” Reinhold Niebuhr (1892 – 1971)
June 12, 2020
“The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.”
There are many voices vying to be heard right now, and some are “yelling.” It’s worth thinking about which voices we are listening to and why. Are you taking in any from those outside your tribe? More importantly, are you making time to listen to God’s still small voice?
Happy Friday? There are times when wishing you a “happy” Friday seems trite. This is one of them. I considered wishing you a “joyful Friday,” but that sounds hopelessly religious and piously weird. Even though some dismiss happy as joy’s lesser cousin, there are good things to be said about it. So… “Happy Friday.”
The Next Two Weeks: The global span, rapid spread, and universal impact of COVID is unprecedented, which leaves us without solid historical guidance. Some are telling us the virus is yesterday’s news. Others are warning us that we haven’t seen anything yet. I am praying for the first. The next two weeks should be telling.
Race and Unrest: Last month, I was surprised by the pushback I fielded after noting that 99.98% of people living in Illinois had not died from the coronavirus. It was a simple statement of fact, but some reading it questioned my… well, they didn’t like it. Since then, I have watched others get savaged—e.g., J. K. Rowling—for making statements that were liberal, but not liberal enough. Of course there is bullying (and misinformation) from the right. And some of the problem is that we are trying to have complicated, nuanced conversations online via 140 characters. But it is the illiberalism of liberalism that is on my radar at the moment. And my point is, it works. This week I collected a number of statistics about this moment, and even though I collected them from a variety of sources and political persuasions, I am scared to share them.
OK, I’ll Share a Few: Because: 1) I think we all lose if we grow fearful of open conversations; 2) part of my point is to note the disparity of “facts” people receive; and 3) I do not have anything to be scared about except some unkind emails. Here are a few of the stats I have noted this week from different sources:
- As of last month, fewer than half of African-American adults now have a job; at $171,000, the net worth of a typical white family is nearly ten times greater than that of a black family; in 2000, median black wages were 79.2 percent of white wages; by 2018 they were only 73.3 percent of white wages
- The police fatally shot 9 unarmed black males and 19 unarmed white males in 2019.
- A black newborn in the United States is twice as likely to die in infancy as a white newborn, and a black woman is two and a half times as likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth as a white woman.
- A police officer is 18½ times more likely to be killed by a black male than an unarmed black male is to be killed by a police officer.
- Senator Tim Scott—who is black—has been pulled over seven times while driving in Washington DC. It seems unlikely that Senator McConnel has had a similar experience.
- Sixty-two percent of black children born between 1955 and 1970 were raised in poor neighborhoods, compared to 4 percent of white children. Results for the generation born between 1985 and 2000 were even worse, with 66 percent of black children raised in poor neighborhoods compared to 6 percent of white children.
I could go on, but hopefully you get the point. Left and right have very different news feeds.
Other Stats without Comment:
- Before COVID-19, 77 percent of Americans were feeling physical symptoms of stress, 46 percent had high feelings of loneliness, and 22 percent didn’t believe they had a real friend.
- A lower percentage of women today are receiving abortions than were in pre-Roe v. Wade days when abortions were illegal in some states.
Michael Jr.: I have read, listened, and watched many things on race this week. Much of it is worth passing along, but you have your own lists, so I will only send one thing: this video of Michael Jr., a black Christian comedian, telling a story of a painful experience from his past. Because my life has unfolded very differently, it is important for me to hear stories like this. BTW if you want to hear one of his comedy sets, you can click here.
Speaking of Humor: By the way, this past week a fictitious email account with my name was set up and lots of emails were sent out to staff and others in the Christ Church orbit all asking them to reach out to me because I had something I needed them to do. This is Phishing 101. I am pleased to say that no one fell for it. I am forced to say that they didn’t fall for it because it didn’t sound like me. “The tone was too nice and too spiritual.
From the Mental Health Forum: I have continued to ponder two comments made during last week’s discussion: 1) the fact that our habits literally reshape our brain; and 2) the observation that the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic was followed by the Roaring Twenties.
Impressed: I’m too old to work on sermons at the last minute, but recent events have led to several “Saturday night specials.” When I start to complain, I am reminded that others—Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. come to mind—were providing critical leadership to massive undertakings and speaking and writing clearly at the same time.
Closing Prayer: “Lord, I trust You completely; I am altogether Yours; I exalt You above all. I desire that I may feel no sense of possessing anything outside of You. I want constantly to be aware of Your overshadowing presence and to hear Your speaking voice. I long to live in restful sincerity of heart. I want to live so fully in the Spirit that all my thoughts may be like sweet incense ascending to You and every act of my life may be an act of worship. Therefore, I pray in the words of Your great servant of old, “I beseech Thee so for to cleanse the intent of mine heart with the unspeakable gift of Thy grace, that I may perfectly love Thee and worthily praise Thee.” And all this I confidently believe You will grant me through the merits of Jesus Christ Your Son. Amen.” A. W. Tozer
June 5, 2020
“My heart pounds, my strength fades; even the light has gone from my eyes.”
It’s Not Even Half Way Over: In a podcast called The Argument, Michelle Goldberg noted that 2020 started off like 1974 (an impeachment), quickly became 1918 (a pandemic), turned into 1929 (an economic crash), and is now 1968 (urban unrest). When you add Africa’s locust plague and our upcoming presidential election—to say nothing of “murder hornets”—it makes you a bit jumpy about what’s next.
Lecrae: I have not attended a Lecrae concert, but I have heard him speak on three occasions and have always been impressed. A friend reminded me of this eight minute interview that I heard live a few years ago, which I would recommend. By the way, here is Lecrae’s “Tell the World” video.
What Comes First? When was the last time you asked yourself if it was your political views shaping your faith or your faith shaping your political views? If it’s the former, you (we) need to ask ourselves, what is shaping our political views? We need to be honest, even if only with ourselves.
New Music: Among the good to emerge from COVID are the music videos. Here is one from Dublin called “The Irish Blessing.” Here is a second, from SF called “The Bay Area Blessing.”
Pray for Kids—and Be Alert: Since schools across the US closed in March, reports of child abuse have plummeted. This is not because abuse is down, but because teachers do not see it and cannot report it. As they say, “If you see something, say something.”
Late to the Party: Given that half the people I’ve recommended this book to have already read it, this news may be of limited value. But if you have not read A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, I recommend it. This is not a “Christian” book per se, just a well told novel in which a Russian aristocrat lives under house arrest in a luxury hotel for more than thirty years.
Anxiety, Depression, and Resilience: This week I had a chance to record a conversation with a psychiatrist, a professor of psychology, and the leader of a nationwide help hotline for teens. We explored our country’s decade-long climb in anxiety and depression and also talked about what to do about it. By the way, all three panelists are optimistic about the resilience of today’s young people.
Quotes Worth Requoting: “Lust isn’t sexual desire per se, but disorderly sexual desire—the problem isn’t the desire, but the disorder. The idea in the old saying about the ‘remedy for lust’ isn’t that marriage provides a way to blow off steam when the pressure inside the boiler gets too high, but that the sweet disciplines of married life have a tendency to rearrange our emotions and desires… to help them become more orderly. Of course that won’t happen if a man treats his wife as a steam-pressure vent. But part of the meaning of marital purity is that he learns to treat her as a wife.” Dr. J. Budziszewski, “On the Meaning of Sex.”
Thankful: Given the events of the last two months, I am glad I took advantage of my seminary’s courses on Advanced Financial Management, Navigating Pandemics, and Leading During Civil Unrest.
Closing Prayer: “Heavenly Father, we come before you in a spirit of supplication. As sinners, we know we have much for which to repent; as beloved children, we know we have great reason to hope in your abundant mercy. As members of a society plagued by opposition to your gospel, we implore your assistance and aid to work towards a society where discrimination, racism, hatred, bias, division, and rejection of your love are replaced by faith, hope, and charity in the communion of all your saints on Earth and in Heaven. May your Kingdom come, Lord Jesus. Amen.” Martin Luther King Jr.
May 29, 2020
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. The Apostle Paul
Bruised and Bloodied: Over the years, I’ve known three pastors recruited to serve as a “spiritual advisor to a president.” Each was played and bloodied – not by the president as much as the DC system and the media, but bloodied all the same. During the COVID maelstrom there is a different punching bag. It’s not pastors, it’s scientists – or science itself.
Churches as Typhoid Mary? Churches in South Korea, France, Germany – and most recently, rural Arkansas – have been blamed for being COVID hotspots. Count me among those who want churches to do everything they can to keep people safe. But let me point out, one of the reasons churches are hot spots is because they remain places where real people from across all sections of life come together to share life.
An Insightful Comment in the Trib: I read an interesting Memorial Day piece in this week’s Chicago Tribune. It was written by a neuropsychologist who is an expert on the effects of brain trauma and behavior. Given that her piece contained stories of the long-term suffering of veterans, it was not fun to read. But learning more felt like the least I could do, especially on Memorial Day weekend. You can read the entire piece here. I was particularly taken by this line, which seemed true in contexts far beyond the one the author was referencing: “Treatment works in proportion to the amount of truth we tell. If the patient tells a little bit of truth, the patient gets a little bit better. If the patient tells a lot of truth, the patient gets a lot better. The reason this works is because the human spirit longs to be understood. Without feeling that there is at least one other person who understands us—who sees us in all our splendor and our shame—we cannot be well.”
The Future Belongs to Those Who Show Up for It: It’s been a while since I’ve channeled Chicken Little and whined about demographic trends. My respite is not for lack of ammunition. There is plenty. For instance, this National Review piece notes that the US birthrate has never been lower. Indeed the US birthrate is now lower than the death rate. Here’s hoping that sheltering-in-place leads to a baby boomlet.
The Bigger Problem: Last month’s gut-wrenching video brought attention to Ahmaud Arbery’s murder. This week’s video is about George Floyd. It’s worth noting that today’s darkest stories are not about viruses. We can tame those. They are about the darkness is our own hearts.
Quotes Worth Requoting: “I have more in common with a black female African Christian than I do with a white American male; I have more in common with those who are a part of the family of God than I have with people of my own nationality, my own race, my own economic status…because those things aren’t going to last. I’m not always going to be an American, but I’m always going to be in God’s family for trillions and trillions of years.” Rick Warren
Ravi: Thirty-five years ago this month, a young Ravi Zacharias was the commencement speaker at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School during my graduation ceremonies. I had not heard of him before, but his ability to “help thinkers believe and challenge believers to think” made me an immediate fan. Cancer led to Ravi’s ultimate graduation ceremony last week. RIP. The Internet is full of Zacharias’ talks and debates. You really can’t go wrong. Here is his October 2019 conversation with Dave Rubin, a secular Jew in his mid-40s who hosts a popular talk show called The Rubin Report. It’s 55 minutes packed with insight.
Closing Prayer: “You taught us, Lord, that the greatest love a man can show is to lay down his life for his friends. But your love was greater still, because you laid down your life for your enemies. It was while we were still enemies that you reconciled us to yourself by your death. What other love has ever been, or could ever be, like yours? You suffered unjustly for the sake of the unjust. You died at the hands of sinners for the sake of the sinful. You became a slave to tyrants, to set the oppressed free. Amen.” Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153)