Today’s Scripture Reading (February 2, 2020): Micah 3
Money shapes the
church. It shouldn’t, but it does. Sometimes I think that the popular belief is
that the church is in control of vast amounts of wealth, but that is not true. For
every ministry that could be considered affluent, there are probably more than a
hundred who worry about being able to pay the utility bill next month. Money is
an uncomfortable reality. The church can’t do what it does without it. And
there are always people around who are willing to buy the message. Pastor, there’s
an extra hundred in the offering plate if you will just (fill in the blank).
Even in my ministry, and in this blog, there are moments when I ask if I can
really say that? Can I teach that truth? And the problem is not that I don’t believe
the truth, but that I will be harshly judged for making the statement.
Do you need
some examples? I am not convinced that our end-times theology is right, and yet
I live in a culture that seems to think that the idea of a rapture and an Antichrist
are written in stone within the teachings of the Bible. I believe that Evolution
vs. Creation is a false debate, and I have no idea how anyone thinks that the
world is only 6000 years old. For me, the critical debate item falls in the
first four words of Genesis – In the beginning, God. Was God involved in the
creation of the universe, or did he sit on the sideline as everything was
created? I don’t believe that evolution works outside of the presence of some
power that guided the process. And there is no reason why God, who set
everything in place, could not have used evolution as his tool in creating the
world. Yet, I am surrounded by friends and acquaintances who believe that evolution
is some kind of swear word and that this planet is only 6000 years old. One
more? I believe that the church’s position on LGBTQ+ issues is overblown. There
is something inside of us, and not inside of the Bible, that makes us react the
way that we do toward the LGBTQ+ community. I believe that our job is to love.
Judging is part of God does, and I am not God. But I live in a culture that has
made the demonification the LGBTQ+ community a religious sporting event.
Each one of
these positions has the potential to turn people away. Maybe that is the way you
reacted to something in the above paragraph. I love discussing these issues,
but let me make it clear. I am not a liberal (another Christian swear word). I believe
in the Bible. But I also think that we have to try at least to understand the
original intentions of the biblical writers before we can understand what their
words mean for us today. I want the discussion, but it needs to be focused around
what it is that the Bible says. The big question is, “Is that a conversation
that we can have? Or would you rather me spout what it is that you already believe
and leave you comfortably sitting in your own personal echo chamber?” Most
choose the echo chamber.
Micah’s issue is
that the pursuit of money has infiltrated his community. The judges give their
ruling because they have been paid, not because of justice. The teachers teach
whatever it is that the student wants to hear because money has been placed in
their pockets. And the prophet prophecies a rosy future for the nation because
they have been paid to prophesy in such a manner. No one is seeking after God.
They just assume that God is on their side. But there is no objective reason to
believe that that is true.
Truth is hard.
But it is also worth the effort. We need to be spiritually and intellectually challenged
so that we can discover the lies that we believe. We need to wrestle with the
scripture, so that we can, in the process, find the living God. All of this is required
if we are going to become more like Christ. But Micah watched as his nation
consistently chose to do what they had been paid to do, instead of what God was
telling them was right.
(And I
sincerely hope that I did not offend you.)
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Micah
4
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