Category: faith

Wrestling with the middle ground

Rachel Held Evans wrote a great piece this week on abortion and the conflict she’s felt growing up conservative and pro-life and now voting for pro-choice candidates and wrestling with what the Christian response should be.

For a lot of pro-lifers, it seemed, abortion was all about the baby… For a lot of pro-choicers, it seems, abortion is all about the woman… So just as I grew irritated with the pro-life movement for its inconsistency and simplistic solutions, I grew irritated with the pro-choice movement for its callousness and disinterest in discussing the very real ethical concerns surrounding the termination of a pregnancy.

I can identify with so much of what she wrote.

I remember standing in a pro-life protest in high school and having a woman scream out her window at us, “It’s not your choice! It’s not your choice!”

And now I find myself moving away from a solid stance on abortion and wrestling with the middle ground of either sides.

I’m not OK with abortions. I think it’s a horrible thing. But I’m also not OK with pro-life being co-opted into a one issue term. Pro-life should be pro-life at all stages of life. From conception, to birth, to wars, gun control, capital punishment and the last breath we breathe.

I’m also not OK with the attempts to demonize people on either side of the issue.

I shared with a co-worker a few weeks ago that while I don’t want to see any baby aborted, I also realize there are so many issues at play when a woman feels the need to abort a baby. I shared that that’s one reason I appreciate the work of many who are really giving mothers an option – rather than just demonizing those who might choose to have an abortion.

It’s been reported that Mother Teresa was called “Mother” by so many because she truly was their mother. If a girl had an unwanted pregnancy, Mother Teresa would not only bring the mother in as her own but also the unborn baby. She went beyond the talking points and political fight and worked towards a holistic approach.

As followers of Jesus, I hope we can all carry out a more holistic approach in caring for people, rather than simply trying to legislate an evil out of existence*. And I hope that we can work towards more common ground between both sides of the issue rather than staking our claim to the moral high ground.

*Yes I do highly see the irony in that statement as someone who is pro-gun control legislation.

Talking about forgiveness and second chances

89.7 Power FM

I had the privilege of spending some time on Powertalk this past Sunday talking with host (and friend) Rick Walker about forgiveness and second chances.

The audio is about 30 minutes long.

And you can listen here:

Or download it here.

I’m scheduled to be back on Powertalk in a week or so – Sunday, April 7, with friends Steve Knight and Phil Shepherd. It’ll be an Open Line show so you never know what’ll come up in the discussion. Should be a lot of fun!

If you’re in the DFW Megaplex listen in at 9 p.m. on 89.7 FM or you can listen online at 897powerfm.com or via their mobile apps.

What do you think we should talk about on April 7?

Those impious Galileans

Rome

In the 4th Century, Roman Emperor Julian was bent on returning Rome back to it’s roots and away from the newly appointed Christian faith.

It had been less than 50 years since Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and made it the official religion of the State and Julian was set to return his country back to it’s roots.

In an effort to drive Christianity out of Rome’s “ruling class,” Julian restored pagan temples which had been confiscated since Constantine’s time, repealed the stipends that Constantine had awarded to Christian bishops, and removed their other privileges, including a right to be consulted on appointments and to act as private courts.

And in February 4, 362, Julian proclaimed a new law guaranteeing freedom of religion across Rome.

The new law proclaimed that all the religions were equal before the State and that the Roman Empire would return to its original ideals of all religions being equally accepted and where the Roman state did not impose any religion on its provinces.

Unfortunately for Julian and despite his best efforts, Christianity continued to flourish (strengthening the argument that the Church grows best when it’s not in the seat of power).

Julian wrote of the Christians:

These impious Galileans not only feed their own poor, but ours also; welcoming them into their agape, they attract them, as children are attracted, with cakes… Whilst the pagan priests neglect the poor, the hated Galileans devote themselves to works of charity and by a display of false compassion have established and given effect to their pernicious errors. See their love-feasts and their tables spread for the indigent. Such practice is common among them and causes a contempt for our gods.

Seeing the affect the Christians had on the Roman citizens, Julian encouraged the pagan priests to start their own charities to care for Rome’s needy.

How generous must the Christians have been for it to lead the government to care more for it’s citizens?

Rob Bell says in Velvet Elvis that Christianity should be good news for everyone. Not just good news that you get to spend eternity in heaven, but good news for the single mom next door, the Athiest down the street, the Muslim at work, the under-resourced in your city – everyone.

The love and generosity that grows out of our faith should have amazing positive impacts on everyone around us.

And obviously in the past – it has.

What would it take for that kind of generosity to take place in our communities of faith?

How would it change your family to see you living out that kind of generosity?

What would your neighbors think? What would it do to your neighborhood? And your city?

“When we truly learn to love, socialism won’t be necessary and capitalism won’t be possible.” – Shane Claiborne