Tag: Christian

Christian Liberation

“The liberation that Christianity preaches is a liberation from something that enslaves, for something that ennobles us. Those who talk only about the enslavement, about the negative part of liberation, do not have all the power that the church can give one.

It struggles, yes, against the earth’s enslavements, against oppression, against misery, against hunger. All that’s true – but, for what? For something.

St. Paul uses a beautiful expression: to be free for love. To be free for something positive, that is what Christ means when he says, ‘Follow Me.'”

– Oscar Romero

Related ::
HT – Tripp Fuller

the Beatles were a Christian band

photo by headphonaught

from e-mail…

The Telegraph ran an article yesterday that reports John Lennon called the Beatles a Christian band and that he himself was a big fan of Jesus Christ.

The statements were part of a 1969 interview with The Beatles front man while he was taking part in a bed-in for peace with Yoko Ono.

As for his infamous statement about the Beatles being bigger than Jesus at the time (which I would tend to agree with)…

“It’s just an expression meaning the Beatles seem to me to have more influence over youth than Christ,” he says. “Now I wasn’t saying that was a good idea, ‘cos I’m one of Christ’s biggest fans. And if I can turn the focus on the Beatles on to Christ’s message, then that’s what we’re here to do.”

He blames “the hypocrites” for being too “uptight” in reacting to his comments. “If the Beatles get on the side of Christ, which they always were, and let people know that, then maybe the churches won’t be full, but there’ll be a lot of Christians dancing in the dance halls. Whatever they celebrate, God and Christ, I don’t think it matters as long as they’re aware of Him and His message.”

Reminds me of a couple things…

  • “Christian is a great noun but a poor adjective.”
  • And perhaps “Jesus is the only way to God – but there are many ways to get to Jesus.”
  • Someone once asked Gandhi if he was a Christian. His reported response was, “Ask the poor. They’ll tell you who the Christians are.”
  • My dad shared some of his thoughts on what a Christian is on the latest Something Beautiful Podcast.
  • Jamie Moffett also shared some of his thoughts and ideas on Something Beautiful 1.6.

I have a feeling that many people are going to get up in arms and upset because John Lennon claimed to be a fan of Christ and suggested that the Beatles might have been a Christian band.

I wonder what the root of the issue is. Is it because Lennon claimed the Beatles were “bigger than Christ.” Is it because they used drugs? Is it because they sang about love and peace? Is it because they hung out with the Maharishi? Is it because John Lennon sang, “Imagine no religion… imagine there’s no heaven?” Or is there something deeper going on?

What about you? How would YOU define “Christian.” How would you explain the Christian “religion?” Does belief in heaven, hell and religion make you a Christian? Does dis-belief in those things make you a non-Christian?

Related ::
Telegraph :: ‘Bigger than Jesus? The Beatles were a Christian band’
SSL :: Christian is a poor adjective

Which of these is different?

America is the “land of freedom” a “melting pot” and as Christians we’re taught to “love one another” but how has our attitude changed since 9/11?

From This American Life:

Serry and her husband’s love story began in a place not usually associated with romance: the West Bank. That was where the couple met, fell in love and decided to get married. Then Serry, who was American, convinced her Palestinian husband to move to America. She promised him that in America their children would never encounter prejudice or strife of any kind. But things didn’t quite work out that way.

How should we as Christian Americans respond to those around us who may not see eye to eye with us?

Also I learned in this particular podcast, there’s a statue of the prophet Muhammad in a federal building in Washington D.C. Didn’t know that.

In the 1930s, the designer of the U.S. Supreme Court made a frieze to adorn the courtroom walls. It depicted eighteen great lawgivers through ages, including Moses, Solon, Confucius…and Muhammad. The only problem is that Islam forbids such portrayals of the prophet. Host Ira Glass talks to Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, about why the frieze is offensive to Muslims, and what they tried to do about it.

Interesting. Listen online.

Christian is a poor adjective

This is from Thomas:

In yesterday’s Metro American “trendspotter” Marian Salzman responded to the question :: “What trends are you predicting for the next 5 years?”

Americans have become so decidedly religious that religion is going to become a very serious problem between the US and the rest of the world. Americans are living in a country where CHRISTIAN RETAIL is a shopping option, CHRISTIAN FOOD is a snack food option – there’s a chain called “Chick-fil-a” – it’s Christian chicken.

Oh my goodness!

What happened to being in the world? If all I do is “CHRISTIAN” then where is the reality? where is the truth in being the salt and the light?

Reject Christian ghettoes!

I just read chapter three of “Velvet Elvis” last night by Rob Bell and it talks a lot about this.

“The prophet Isaiah had a vision of heaven, and in his vision angels were shouting, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’

The Hebrew word for glory here is kavod, which means weight or significance.

The whole earth is full of the weight and significance of who God is.

The writer David said, ‘The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.’

According to the ancient Jewish worldview, God is not somewhere else. God is right here. It is God’s world and God made it and God owns it and God is present everwhere in it.”

“But God is always present. We’re the ones who show up. For the ancient Jew, the world is soaked in the presence of God. The whole earth is full of the kavad of God. For the writers of the Bible, this truth is everywhere. It’s here. It’s there. It’s all over.”

“Paul affirms the truth wherever he finds it.”

“If it is true, if it is beautiful, if it is honorable, if it is right, then claim it. Because it is from God. And you belong to God.”

“Jesus is the arrangement. Jesus is the design. Jesus is the intelligence. For a Christian, Jesus’ teachings aren’t to be followed because they are a nice way to live a moral life. They are to be followed because they are the best possible insight into how the world really works. They teach us how things are. I don’t follow Jesus because I think Christianity is the best religion. I follow Jesus because he leads me into the ultimate reality.”

“It is dangerous to label things ‘Christian.'”

“The problem with turning the noun into an adjective and then tacking it onto words is that it can create categories that limit the truth.”

“Something can be labled Christian and not be true or good.”

“A Christian political group puts me in an akward position: What if I disagree with them? Am I less of a Christian? What if I am convinced the “Christian” thing to do is to vote the exact opposite?”

“Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective.”

“I was playing in a punk band a few years ago, and we were playing clubs and bars and festivals and parties. People would regularly ask us if we were a Christian band when they found out I was a pastor. I always found that question a bit odd. When you meet a plumber, do you ask her if she is a Christian plumber?”

“My understanding is that to be a Christian is to do whatever you do with great passion and devotion.”

What’s your take?