The Naughty Baptist

Musings on Religion, Politics and Activism

Religion

Dr Martin Luther King Links

I’ve previous post on Letter from a Birmingham Jail on how I like to read Dr. Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail every year.

After reading it again today I thought I’d post a few links on the day we celebrate his life. There is much more to the man than the few quotes we see every year on this holiday.

This quote from his letter has been bouncing in my head today. Like John Piper’s Letter to Dr King, I think this is prophetic:

But the judgement of God is upon the church as never before. If the church of today does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authentic ring, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. I am meeting young people every day whose disappointment with the church has risen to outright disgust.

Some links from the always interesting Jemar Tisby. First, he had some great comments on #BlackLivesMatter and the pro-life movement. His is not the only opinion on the page, but he resonated with me most.

Next, take time to read this: The Master Narrative: The Popular, but Problematic Memory of the Civil Rights Movement.

And finally, a great video of Tisby, Trip Lee, and Alex Medina discussing “What About the Minority Experience in America Do Whites Often Miss?”

Speaking of Trip Lee, I watched a great 3 minute video from him on the Gospel and Race. It’s worth your time.

Finally, two book suggestions. Both of these help give you an idea of who Dr. King was, not just the sanitized version that is popular today.

The first is The Radical King. It is a collection of speeches and writings from Dr King that give you an idea of how the man thought. It’s organized by category, and is easy to read in small bites. The comments from Cornel West help supply context without getting in the way.

The second book is Death of a King, about the final year of his life. Tavis Smiley does a great job showing how, while he is popular today, King’s views about state violence and poverty made many people withdraw their support. Before reading about this I had never heard this part of the story. There is also a great interview with Smiley on The Daily Show discussing the book.

Take some time and learn about Dr. King. He truly is an American icon, and with good reason. I believe it will be time well spent.

Paris, evil, and the ignorance of childhood

My two kids, and our current foster kids, have finished breakfast and are happily playing. K keeps running to show me what she’s built or found.

They are blissfully unaware of the attack in Paris. They do not even realize such evil exists in the world.

I am dreading the day they become aware of it.

The reason I hate prosperity theology is that it cannot handle evil. (And yes, I mean the word “hate,” not dislike or something else lighter.) Osteen and his ilk basically give you a spell by which you can bind God, speak the words and God will have to bless you. Then some terrorists set off bombs and kill (according to the most recent account I’ve seen) 127 people and all the big smiles in the worlds will not handle it.

True Christianity has no problem explaining the existence of evil. Not that it will give you an explanation, the “why” behind each act of evil. But it gives me a framework to understand it, to fight it, and to maintain hope through it.

I’m solid on that, I understand it, I’ve taught it to others.

But this morning I am looking at these kids and thinking, God, I really don’t want to have to teach this to them. I know it’s unrealistic, but there it is.

Come quickly, Lord!

Stop giving simple answers to evil

Dani Hampton (who you should follow on Twitter if you don’t already) commented on Kayla Mueller’s death earlier this evening.

 

I’m not posting this to argue with her. I don’t want to argue with her because, to a large extent, she’s right. I just have more to say than what will fit into 140 characters.

I’ve heard it said that Job’s friends were wisest when they were silent. Then they had to start talking and ruin it. Like them, to many Christians try to give simplistic answers to very complex, painful issues.

So, yeah, I have a lot of sympathy for the way she’s thinking. I think a lot of well-meaning Christians end up reciting trite clichés because they don’t know what to say, but feel they have to say something. This “fill the silence” narrative is usually wrong. For example, Romans 8:28 is a wonderful promise, but I’m of the opinion that, if you immediately quote it to people who are grieving, it’s acceptable to punch you in the face.

I don’t claim to be an expert in this, but I do have some experience. I’ve preached funerals of family members, including my father-in-law. I’ve sat in a hall with a young lady whose friend committed suicide, and then was one of three people addressing an entire youth group about it. And that’s not counting all the other tragedies I’ve encountered, whether personal to me, to my friends, or to all of us, like Kayla Mueller and the three young people murdered in Chapel Hill.

Obviously, I come at this not just as Christian, but a certain type of Christian. I’m happy to debate the merits of my particular bias some other time. I just hope to explain my thoughts on this, for what it’s worth.

First, take the Bible seriously when it says to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15) and bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). Remember Job’s friends, and be present, but (mostly) silent.

Second, let people vent. This, too, is biblical. Job pointed out that, “the speech of a despairing man is wind” (Job 6:26 – I learned this from John Piper). Job certainly did this, ie “my eye will never again see good” (Job 7:7).

Third, you don’t know why it happened. Obviously you may know details about Kayla Mueller. You might know all the information about the murders of Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha. But you do not know “the plan” Dani was referring to. You simply do not. Don’t pretend to, no one really expects you to.

Finally, point to Christ. Ultimately, this is all we can do. I do not know why these people died, or why so many others have suffered. I agree that God is doing 10,000 things, and we may be aware of three.

I do not know why any one thing happens, but I do know this: The murder of Christ was the greatest evil ever committed. And through it, God brought about the greatest possible good for us.

The captivity of Kayla, and her death, is evil. The murder of Deah, Yusor, and Razan is evil. I do not know why these things happened. They hurt me, and I did not know any of them.

What I do know, though, is God brings good out of evil. That does not mean these things were good in disguise, any more than killing Christ was good. It means, however, that God is sovereign still, even — or perhaps especially — when the evil is greatest.

We must reduce the demand

If you haven’t seen the news, a sex trafficking has been busted in Savannah.

A lot of the time when I talk about this issue, people assume it’s something that only happens overseas. That is a massive mistake. Atlanta is one of the major hubs of human trafficking. And, when we see articles like this, we have to acknowledge that it happens here, too. This bust is just the tip of the iceberg, but does help draw attention to it.

There’s a lot that needs to be done about this. There’s a lot of talk these days, but we need action. But one aspect of this stands out to me:

We have to address the demand.

Women and children and bought and sold for sex because people — primarily men — create a demand for it. If men are willing to pay for sex, someone will sell it to them. It really is that simple.

Porn, strip clubs, prostitution, hookup culture — all this feeds our culture that objectifies women, and turns them into sexual objects that are to be used and disposed of. 

This is not just a matter of telling men to “man up” — that’s a simplistic answer for a complex problem, and it ignores the Gospel entirely. We need grace-saturated, God-glorifying, brutally honest discussion of how to reduce and ultimately eliminate the demand.

 

 

 

 

 

Random Thoughts on Good News for the Poor

The Bible tells us in several places that the Gospel is good news to the poor. I wonder, though, how much of what we say and do is really good news.

Some Christians ignore this aspect entirely. They may do some things to help the poor maintain their condition, or alleviate some of the symptoms. Giving out free food and clothing is one example of this. Don’t get me wrong there — these can be useful ministries. Amber and I have helped with a local meals-on-wheels program for a while, and I love doing it. But if that is all we are doing, it falls far short of what we are called to.

I say this because simply helping people get by does not, in my mind, qualify as “good news.” Yes, it is needed. As I’ve been thinking lately how best to help the homeless and poor in my area, I know that long-term what is needed is transitional housing and treatment programs. The reality, though, is that if I wait until I can do that people will suffer in the short-term. You have to meet those short-term needs, or people may not last until the long term solutions are ready. So, again, don’t misunderstand this.

My point here is not that short-term projects are bad. They are not. My point is that, if that’s all we’re doing, then we are missing the point.

Jesus came to redeem and restore, not merely patch things up. If we are the proclaim good news, we must proclaim that the last are to be first. We have to actually work to change things.

This is one of the many reasons I like Mission of Hope Haiti. They take care of immediate needs, but they also have very long-term plans, such as education, building 500 homes for Haitians to own, and starting businesses.

What does this look like in my community? I’m not completely sure. I do know it doesn’t involve simple band aids, or paternalistic attitudes. It will mean getting involved in people’s lives, and that means it will be difficult and messy at times.

Getting involved in the difficult and messy, though, pretty much sums up Christ’s approach.