Alright, the beginning of the end may be near. The time when I start asking the difficult questions, the time when people get angry at me for asking them. But I created this blog to voice my questions and thoughts about my/our life of faith, so here goes.
I am wearing pastoral shoes. And as a pastor, (and a person of faith, I might add), I think it is my duty to ask the questions. It is my duty to wonder aloud about the things that people of faith are being taught by mass produced Christian events, publications, organizations, and music. It is my duty to talk through the theological issues behind these things so that the people around me can also think through these issues and not just accept what they are told about the Godhead. And the weekend I just spent at a Christian music festival brought up a lot of questions in my mind. A lot.
1. Why do we feel it is acceptable to equate God with the United States? By this I mean showing powerpoint presentations devoted to pictures of the flag of this country and monuments of this country during a worship service. Is this acceptable? What does this say? Think about it. What does this say?
2. Why is it that at major Christian events the only people leading/speaking/praying are white and male? I am not opposed to white males. I am married to a wonderful one and working with another great, intelligent white male. I am friends with numerous white males. My question is not about the abilities of white males. My question is why they are the ONLY ones in the front. What does this say? Think about it. What does this say?
3. Why is it that we feel the only way to address our Creator is through the term 'Father'? While I think this is an acceptable, wonderful, biblically based metaphor that should be used, I still wonder why it is the only term used to describe the Godhead. What does this say?
4. Why is everything about Jesus? Now, just for everyone who is freaking out, I am not saying anything about Jesus with this comment. What I am saying is that God, and particularly the Holy Spirit, are left out of the conversation. Obviously, without our Savior, the faith we have could not be. But what about the gift of the Spirit that we were given to enlighten us, prod us, prompt us, and speak in and through us? Why do we forget to talk about this amazing gift that we have, this gift that somehow mysteriously, lives WITHIN us? What does this say about who/what we worship?
5. Why is salvation presented as a way to be saved from hell? Why is it always about being saved from eternal fire (which I'm not sure is an appropriate picture of hell) instead of being about how our Savior is holding out arms of love to us, calling us to live a different life? Why isn't is about how we have a Lord that loves us so much that he kicked around the very dirt we walk upon on this earth? Why isn't it about bringing the kingdom of God to earth, here and now? Why isn't it about discipleship, about teaching? Why is it all about a 3-line prayer that may or may not make a difference after a person is petrified because they think if they do not pray this prayer they will be burned for eternity? I don't think scare tactics are a method of gospel presentation. I think this may work sometimes, but I do not believe that makes it acceptable. What does screaming at people about hell teach them about our God? What does it say?
6. Why do Christians believe that the only God-honoring music is overtly specific Christian music? Why do we have to say the name of God to be worshipping that God? What about all the music out there that is not at all 'Christian' but speaks a much more real version of how life is? What about all that music out there that is willing to question, doubt, and deal with difficulty? Is the only God-honoring music that which is sold at Christian bookstores? What does that say about our God?
I realize these are difficult questions. I am not sure how I feel about them. They are my questions, my questions that I do not have answers for. But they are questions I want to talk about. So, if you have any thoughts, questions, or rants about anything I have said, please, begin a dialogue. These are questions. They are not statements. I realize it is a questioning of what many of us hold dear. But my real point is, what if what we hold dear really isn't what is important? What if we are missing the point?
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3 comments:
Addressing comment/question 6...May I bring into the discussion "Draw Me Close to You"? This is a love song...supposedly to God/Jesus. However, it never mentions God. In fact, it sounds like "we had a little fight, and now we're not together, but I've realized that I can't live without you and you're everything to me" aka the kind of song you'd croon to your significant other. WE could debate God as our significant other, but that's not the point. I do agree that it's strange to accept that no songs but "Christian songs" are acceptable, especially because some Christian songs are either musically INexcellent or because their lyrics are questionable. If all we're allowed to sing and perform as Christians is some sort of mindless, meaningless, emotionally manipulative, struggleless, unreal blither how can we possibly be honoring God? I know that not all of it falls into the category mentioned in the previous sentence, but still...some of the most powerful/spiritual songs I've encountered didn't come out of CCM or even from Christians. You may know the answer, on some level, to some of their questioning, but many times, their questions should be ours as well. Saying "God/Prayer/Jesus/Bible" to everything is not really living Christianity. Singing it is selling ourselves short.
Clarissa
I love, love, love your questions! Many of them are questions that are on my heart and mind quite a lot. Thanks for posting this and continuing the dialogue. I am particularly mindful of using the term father to relate to God and am (yes, while pregnant) reminded of all of the ways God acts as a nurturing mother to us as well. Thanks, Alaina, for having the courage to ask provocative questions!
Deanna Rolffs
I had a conversation last week with a guy from our church who's the head of the Evangelism Committee. He's gung ho about bringing people to Christ.
But he brought up how the church (as a whole, but ours in particular) avoids talking about sin, hell, judgment, etc.
I hate hearing people offer salvation as an "Get Out of Hell Free" card. It is about God's love. Jesus told people to follow Him, not to believe and you'll be saved from eternal damnation.
But at the same time, maybe we do need to balance that with the Old Testament focus of fearing God. Because He will judge (we avoid that word, too, in our culture today) the entire world. And yes, some will go to hell. Far too many the way the church is loving them in today.
But I think that's the history of our faith. We swing from one extreme back to the other and have a difficult time living with the middle ground, the tension of the paradoxes (read Klyne's book called "Between Two Truths"--it's actually a really good read).
On another note, do Christians have trouble with the books of Esther and the Song of Solomon which don't mention God at all? Someone on staff at camp back in the day when Beth and I were summer staff & Kennan was into Clarissa at the time brought up how a group like Sixpence the Richer must not be Christian anymore, because their songs weren't mentioning Jesus.
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