revelife's Revelife

Discussing Life and Death

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:12:00 GMT

A friend had a question:

I have always struggled with this: Death. Assuming one were to go to heaven upon their death and in so few words, this is our goal, why aren't more of us happy and ready to die? Life on Earth is filled with so many ... not good things, especially compared to how we might imagine heaven, one should be ready to get this life over with as soon as possible. It seems that there is too much emphasis put on the earthly life by all, "Christians" and non-Christians alike. Say you were in a hospital in a life threatening situation, and the doctors managed to save your life, most people would say thank you to them, but really shouldn't we be almost upset that we didn't die? I know there are different views on "plans" such as we're here for how long we're supposed to be and what have you, but I was just wondering about your take on this.

Here is my response:

You know, I'm a minority in this but I don't see heaven as the goal. I think we are slightly out of focus when we look towards eternal destination as the end goal. Sure, we desire it and look forward to it, but Jesus taught that his kingdom has all ready come (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:25) and that we should seek that kingdom (Matthew 6:33, Luke 12:31). We ought to be consumed by that kingdom by being one with our Father (John 17) and living in love (Ephesians 5:1-2, 1John 2:10, 4:7-21) by obeying His commands (John 14:15, 21, 15:10, 1John 2:3, 3:24, 5:3). More Here...

Political-Religious Maturity

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:57:00 GMT

One of the most frustrating things about witnessing the ridiculous merger of American politics and American Christianity is not so much the theologically questionable nature of such a venture, but the sheer immaturity of it. Listening to someone like Ann Coulter or Sean Hannity attempt to reason from religious convictions to political stances is painful for anyone who understands the complexities inherent in either realm.

For this reason, it is always reassuring to recall politicians whose political-religious thinking is mature. Even where I disagree with him, Abraham Lincoln had this sort of deep maturity evident in his writings and speeches. It's undoubtable that his religious convictions informed his political stances. On the matter of conscientious objectors to the Civil War, Lincoln "felt that unless we recognized conscientious religious scruples, we could not expect the blessing of Heaven."

Probably the best example of Lincoln's mature thought is his second inaugural address, given just months before his assassination. After explaining the causes leading to the Civil War, which was still ongoing, Lincoln analyzed the war from his Christian theological perspective.

Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has his own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!" If we shall suppose that American Slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South, this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a Living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope--fervently do we pray--that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether."

The maturity and humility of Lincoln's thought is impressive. More Here...

Exclusive Interview: Mark Galli of Christianity Today, Part One

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:38:00 GMT

By Aaron at The Mockingbird Blog

Back in July, many of us at Mockingbird discovered (see earlier blog posts here and here) the writings of Mark Galli, Senior Managing Editor of Christianity Today, the flagship magazine of Evangelicalism (started in 1956 by Billy Graham). Galli's grasp of the Gospel—God’s grace in Jesus Christ to broken human beings (including Christians who can't get it together)—was as deeply refreshing as it was (almost) unique in the wider world of Evangelical Christianity. We were so intrigued that we sat down with him to find out more. It proved to be a fascinating conversation about the current landscape of Evangelicalism, the radical nature of the Gospel, and the pattern of the Christian life.

Here's Part 1 of the interview.

Mockingbird: Christianity Today is a magazine written for a broad spectrum of theological perspectives. But in your regular Soulwork column, you have a distinct theological perspective that emphasizes God’s radical grace in the face of our human brokenness and narcissism. What’s the origin of your perspective and what role does it play in the magazine?

Mark Galli: You’re right that Christianity Today is a magazine for all evangelicals. So my job involves publishing stuff I may disagree with on a personal theological level. But CT is like a village green. People from all backgrounds can come together and talk about what they think they should be doing in the name of Christ in the world. In that, there’s a certain continuity and coherence, maybe less than there used to be, but it's still there: a passion to love Christ and serve him in the world. More Here...

Do Some Churches Have a Membership Hierarchy?

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:20:00 GMT

I just read an interesting paragraph about churches from "What's Theology Got To Do With It?"

Nevertheless, perhaps because we have grown so accustomed to thinking of ourselves as consumers of various goods and services, the membership ethos is hard to break. I have noticed, for example, that in many congregations, when a new group gathers for the first time, the default option for introductions tends to take the form, "My name is ______, and I have been a member of First Church for 30 years (or 15 years or 1 year)." As a way of introducing ourselves, length of tenure at that particular church, to be sure provides some useful information. And there is much to be said for loyalty and commitment. But something else often seems to be going on during such a ritual. A pecking order is established based on length of membership. An insider-outsider dynamic is suggested. indeed as Michael Foss (Lutheran pastor) notes, "The membership model identifies who is in and who is out. No wonder those outside the church consistently say that church people are more judgmental than others.

What struck me as so fascinating is how such a simple thing like length of time in a group can immediately establish a "pecking order." This happens in all sorts of organizations and communities, but I believe the author is making a point that, in the Christian community, this is particularly damaging.

The holidays are coming up, which has a host of examples. More Here...

Question About the Crucifixion: Did Jesus Go to Hell?

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:10:00 GMT

Jesus went to Hell. This is a totally new concept for me.

I was having lunch with a mid-western Protestant, Catholic from Queens yesterday and someone who didn't have an opinion either way, and I was astounded to hear the latter two begin discussing the "fact" that Jesus went to Hell for three days after He was crucified and placed in the tomb. My personal opinion has no place here; I am simply stunned by the fact that I was raised in the Church of Christ until my teens and I have never heard anything about Jesus having gone to Hell for three days while His body was in the tomb.

Did you know about this? I was always of the impression that being crucified on a cross would be pretty much enough misery and sin taking to account for mankind, but apparently there is a huge Christian contingency that believes that Christ spent three days in Hell as part of His suffering for our sins. I am not one to say one way or the other about what I believe and don't believe, nor to preach, but I am totally confounded at not having heard this before, since it seemed to be, at the lunch table today, such a commonly know thing. I'm certain my mother would have had a strong opinion about it one way or the other, and I never heard of this concept. More Here...

Why do We Partake in Religious Rituals?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:22:00 GMT

A few days ago, I was conversing with a dear friend who shared some her thoughts on why she wasn't sure that she wanted to get married. As she pointed out, in American society, marriage hasn't any deep significance. Celebrities seem to change spouses as often as they change outfits. Divorce rates have become astronomical as people have come to view divorce like the Wite-Out of marriages, a quick fix to a casual mistake. All in all, the deep covenant-like quality of marriage has been largely lost.

A few days after this conversation, my hubby and I were talking about the class he is in at church to prepare for baptism. He was sharing with me some of his reasons for not wanting to be baptized in the denomination in which he grew up as well as his reasons for wanting to be baptized in the Mennonite congregation we now call home. I was deeply impressed with his thoughtful reflection on the matter. I was baptized when I was 14 or 15, and while I was old enough to have some sense of the significance of what I was doing, in hindsight, I think I was also rather naive and just figured this was something that I had to do at some point or another and may as well do it then. More Here...

Submit Your Posts to Revelife!

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:44:00 GMT

Do you have a post that you want to to see on the Revelife main page? Or seen a good post lately?

You can submit it here and the Revelife editors will read through your submissions and put them up on the Revelife main page. Your blogs can be about anything faith related: questions, opinions, observations, experiences etc. We love to read your posts!

Also, we know there have been some questions recently about the content being featured on Revelife. We want to make sure you know that you can help us decide what content gets published by submitting posts on subjects that you want Revelife to feature and voting on the posts that have been submitted. The majority of the content on Revelife comes from its readers, though we do also feature established bloggers, because they have great things to say, too!

So, got a post you'd like to share? Submit it!

Many thanks to thecuttingtruth, WasaiWarrior, subSacred, and all of you wonderful readers who submitted content this week!

Reflections on Sabbath

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:37:00 GMT

Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, saying, "When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?"

The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob:"Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who dwells in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?" "And on that day," declares the Lord GOD, "I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight."
-- Amos 8:4-9

As I have mentioned before, I grew up in the Worldwide Church Of God. Because of this, I grew up going to church on Saturday, as it is their Sabbath. The above quoted passage is a section of scripture that someone I know in real life quoted to me, saying that it supports the Sabbath as being over. The argument as I understand it is that in this verse, God says that Israel has asked him when the Sabbath is over, and that in Verse 9 God responds to them saying that it will be over when He makes the sun go down at noon and darken the Earth in broad daylight. This having happened when Jesus died on the cross, so therefore the Sabbath is over. More Here...

How to Have the Spiritual Life of a Saint: Devotions

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:01:00 GMT

By Justin at BeDeviant

Call it what you want, but a “quiet time” (a.k.a. QT, devotions, devotionals, devos, God time, date with Jesus [editor's note: *shudder*], etc.) has been a staple of the evangelical diet for decades. And for good reason.

The primary purpose of this time is to get with God and let him speak to you–through his Word, through prayer, through other literature, through music, etc. Although this practice can quickly lead into a “checklist” activity (i.e. “I must have my quiet time with God or he won’t love me anymore!” We snicker, but I knew kids in college who truly believed this. And it showed. Striving much?), it is profoundly helpful in hearing God’s voice in your life.

So how do we do it? What does a quiet time even look like? If you’ve been wondering how, or if you want to start, here’s a quick and easy guide to get your devotional wheels turning:

Find a consistent time. I find mornings work best, but maybe you’re a night owl. Pick a time and own it. More Here...

The Road: Coming Soon to a Church Near You

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:22:00 GMT

By Justin at Faith and Geekery

Awhile back I talked a little about the trend of marketing movies to Christians — both Christian film directors talking about their faith as well as other films that are being marketed specifically to churches regardless of the intent.

I have to say up front that I knew nothing about the movie The Road or the book it came from before doing a little research. I see it has some great actors and it looks like a good story. It’s getting positive reviews, and is a film that may have Oscar potential. I don’t want to criticize the movie itself, but I would like to question how it’s being marketed to Christians.

Jared Wilson at his blog The Gospel-Driven Church mentions an Entertainment Weekly article (which doesn’t appear to be online, although maybe that will change) that talks a bit about The Road’s plans. Directly from the article:

[T]he adaptation of . . . McCarthy’s acclaimed novel about a father (Viggo Mortensen) and son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) traveling through a bleak wasteland is getting the full pitch to Christian audiences . . . Plans include 15 advance screenings for church leaders nationwide, a website featuring free sermon and discussion guides, and a special trailer with extra scenes underscoring the film’s moral message.

The website in question is here, and you can download a PDF filled with multiple sermons and questionnaires. The studio is using a marketing firm that has marketed to Christians in the past. More Here...