Compelled?

So. I am done with politics. It is too compelling to me. As it is or will be to others with an altruistic bent - though rarely will these people realize their addiction to the game. And yes, I know there are those of you who either can't comprehend this and/or think I am cracked; c'est la vie.

I realized some years back that I was addicted to life; not being alive but how I lived. I have wanted and still do want certain things in this life. Who doesn't, eh?

Tell me, how many of you feel compelled? Compelled to do what you ask. Well, for those of you who claim Christ as your Lord and Savior, do you feel compelled by His love? No, that doesn't answer the question of compelled to do what but it does define a state of being. A continual state of being because of Him.

Confused? Well, don't worry. Hopefully between prayer and talking to other Christians and just thinking about it, it will come to you.

In earlier times the word compel had a generally positive connotation but now... We feel compelled to do something about something we perceive as a wrong; we must right a wrong. To the political right maybe you have been caused to feel compelled to stop abortion. On the left, stop discrimination to .

To use politics as an example, whether you are on the political left or right, if you call yourself Christian then likely Pat Robertson or D. James Kennedy (though Doc Kennedy's been dead since 2007 - or as his former pastorate's web site says, "...(he) entered the presence of his Savior, Jesus Christ, on..."), James Dobson or the folks with the American Family Association and the Wildmon family exhorted you, every chance they got, to get involved in picking the President of the United States. If only just to send money to their ministries to enable them to do the work better.

After scaring some of you witless about the impending doom someone like Barak Hussein Obama would spread upon the land should he become president - or to be fair to you "progressives" your information sources have you worried about anyone and everyone they say, John McCain being your worry in 08 - well, the feeling you had from their scare tactics is called Envy and the reaction you had to get involved was compelled by your envy.

Some of you, having written a check to James Dobson or Move On.org, will no longer feel compelled. If your altruism runs high maybe you have felt compelled (if you were alive then) since Richard Nixon was president and you haven't let up yet.

The question on the table though is for you Christians: do you feel compelled by Christ's love and if so, what is that feeling like? I don't know. Really. 

I have been too compelled to worry about the manner of my life: what I will eat, drink, wear, where I will live, what car will I drive, will I find a life companion, will I need Viagra or one of the other anti-impotency drugs for when the moment is right and on and on and on... Only, I shouldn't be (too compelled), should I? Should you?

II Cor. 5:14-20 (the words in all caps are my emphasis):

For CHRIST'S LOVE COMPELS US, because we are CONVINCED that ONE DIED for all, and therefore ALL DIED. And He DIED for ALL, that those who live should NO LONGER LIVE for THEMSELVES but for Him who DIED FOR THEM and was RAISED AGAIN.

So FROM NOW ON we regard NO one from a WORLDLY point of view though we ONCE REGARDED CHRIST in this way, we DO SO NO LONGER. THEREFORE IF ANYONE is in Christ HE IS A NEW CREATURE; the old things passed away, behold, NEW THINGS HAVE COME. NOW all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and GAVE US the MINISTRY of RECONCILIATION, NAMELY, that God was in Christ RECONCILING the world to Himself, NOT COUNTING THEIR TRESPASSES AGAINST THEM, and He has COMMITTED to US the WORD of RECONCILIATION.

THEREFORE, WE ARE AMBASSADORS for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through US, we beg you on behalf of Christ, be RECONCILED to God. He made Him who KNEW NO SIN to BE SIN on OUR BEHALF, SO THAT WE might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD in HIM.

Somehow, call me crazy, but I think that the apostle Paul has told us we Christians have something more to do than hit "church" once a week, listen to the local Christian radio station or work for peace and justice (and the American way?), whatever working for "peace and justice" means exactly, if you're on the left side of the house.

What prompted my eruption described in my inaugural post was this question and a hundred (thousand?) more and to attempt to live as my Savior compels me. And the thing is I find few, if any people in "the Church," who can help me grow and live in Christ as I believe the Scripture has commanded me. No offense.

Think of me as an alcoholic who can't find an AA meeting, a druggie who can't find an Alanon meeting, addicted to sex and can't find an SA meeting.

The point here is that my addiction is life. Who else will admit their addiction and then we can get together once, twice, five times a week and help each other out like the men and women at AA, Alanon, or SA (Sex Addicts Anonymous)?

No! - I am not hinting at a 12 step program and I am not talking about going to "church!" I'm talking about the alternate life that Paul directs our attention to.

I once told my agnostic - well she admits to once attending the United Church of Christ so...um - shrink that I could count on one hand the number of people I have known that I knew ON SIGHT were Christians; true believers. They have an air of peace about them. They had no worries or fears. They were being and are compelled by His love.

Well, just a thought, a provocation or two. Something to think about.

Until next time, may you feel compelled and feel His peace,

+Scott

I'm Jumping Right In...

If this blog entry were written on paper I would have gone through a ream of paper and the trash can would be overflowing. I've been in a writing block since nigh on 2006. Now I'm trying to undo the logjam of thoughts and ideas in my head. It ain't easy doing it at 1500 words or less per entry.

Well, let me just jump right in.

Sometime around January 10, 2011 I jumped, happily - but mondo annoyed - into a political lynching of President Obama by a group of Christians and at least one Lutheran on Facebook. Happy because I could flex my political and logical muscles. There were people to be manipulated. Politics is, at its most simple core, nothing more than manipulation of people. After my working experience in politics and small city government I have come to view politics as a blood sport and I neither ask nor give quarter.

I was annoyed because suddenly, getting into the fray, I got kicked in the spiritual gut by the Holy Spirit. 20 years before I wouldn't have thought anything about Christians having a go at the government and now it bothered me greatly.

The bother was not in the nature of Christians - and most of the electorate - being whiny dilettantes about logic, rhetoric and the rules of political discourse but rather that the Christians at least should have known better than behave they were.

I was "righteously" rebuked for my words which ran the gamut from sarcasm to flat out contempt.

I made this note in Volume X of my notebooks:

Sadness, loneliness, loss of control, anger, want to run and hide, skin hunger, spiritual hunger

- 1/11/11

In a much longer note on January 12 I jotted these things:

I think I have lost my faith. I have been abandoned...

I doubt whether ANY of them took me seriously about my Christian or political issues; they were like a pack of hungry wolves...

The group's final shot was to bring on a DAMNED Lutheran! ...(who) actually knew Lutheran doctrine which made everything OK...

I pause here for a note about "the Lutheran." At issue in this flame war on Facebook was the disrespect for the President of the United States on a very personal level. The Holy Spirit has NOT let me ignore Romans 13 essentially the way the entire Church does. "The Lutheran" had the work around for how we in the Church could - nay, were required to - question and criticize our leaders. Quoting Martin Luther's IDEAS and blending them with the PRACTICE of the FAITH over time made it OK to SET ASIDE SCRIPTURE.

Friends, let us remember something about Father Martin Luther. Luther was a licensed teacher of Catholic Theology. If the Vatican had not been so inflexible about Luther's teaching, if Luther HAD recanted at the Diet of Worms he would still have been a Catholic Priest. Every time Luther celebrated Mass, when he elevated the host he would have believed that the wine and bread he had just consecrated turned into the LITERAL body and blood of Christ. He would have been able to offer absolution through confession. He could preach about Purgatory. He would be doing everything expected of a priest of Rome.

He would believe in two important things that separate Catholics from Protestants: 1) Apostolic Succession & 2) Continuing Revelation.

Apostolic Succession, among other things, means that whoever is the bishop of Rome can trace their lineage and therefore POWER back to St. Peter. This gives the papacy "access" to all the promises Christ made to Peter.

Out-flowing from Apostolic Succession is Continuing Revelation. The Pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth. This means, in Catholic theology, that whatever the Pope writes, says in speeches, etc. is on at least equal par with Scripture. I understand the logic but no way, no how does the Bishop of Rome's pronouncement's have the stamp of inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Let us press on. Back to the long note of January 12.

At this point I actually claimed online that I felt I was on the verge of losing my faith & this was not a trick on my part...But no one reaches out about my impending meltdown of faith.

My final paragraph of that note was:

...I don't know what to do. Death or anti-socialist atheist?

At this point I could honestly say I was having a crisis of not only faith but mental health. I was contemplating suicide - more strongly than I admitted to my "personal brain care specialist." So, after some very, very, very angry arguments with God in which I told Him where to urinate and to have sex with Himself I tendered my resignation to the Faith.

Fortunately, He didn't accept it. But the pain and confusion and a lot of other stuff flowed in my spirit and head. It was February 22, 2011 before I could write further in my notebook; it was that long before I "came back to work."

The flame war on Facebook was the proverbial last straw but it was far from being the cause of the crisis.

Over the past several years I began looking at Scripture in a rather new light. If I SAY I BELIEVE the Bible is the literal word of God, maybe I had better take another look at what I signed up for. Almost immediately something came into view. I call it "Simple Declarative Sentences."

"Simple Declarative Sentences" (SDS) works this way: Jesus says to, "give to whoever asks...," (Mat. 5:42). There is no clarifying instructions to this command that I can find, no EXCEPTIONS. But, of course we all "know" there are exceptions. There have to be. Otherwise...well, "otherwise" is hard to contemplate without breaking into a cold sweat.

Back up in Matthew 5:39 Jesus says, "Do not resist an evil person..." But...uh. "Judeo-Christian Ethics" says we HAVE TO! But again NO clarifications or exceptions.

In I Corinthians 13:5, Paul says that Love "keeps no record of wrongs." That's just laughable isn't it? We all know about "forgive and forget" but it ain't in Scripture (quoted that way) and no one I know does it!!! Including me!!!!

I think (hope) you get the picture of SDS's. If you know of any exceptions, from the New Testament, please let me know.

So I came across this: II Timothy 3:1-5 (you'll need to look it up) and I realized my shame. I was, and to some extent STILL AM, living straddled between two worlds ("having a form of godliness but denying its power"). Oh, I can quote Scripture and some theology like I know what I am doing but when it comes to faith that God will take care of me - Jesus says, "do not worry" - I blow it every single time.

Long story short, I wanted to find Christians who were LIVING their faith, who were entirely in ONE WORLD and not straddled. And it angered me that it seemed like I was ALONE. New, spiritually weak, I felt like I was in one of those sci-fi movies where the streets of New York are completely empty. Oh, I am 42 years old in the Faith. Kinda hard to claim I am "new," eh?

Well, where does this leave US? Yeah, US, if you are willing to follow along for the ride.

I know, I know, things are a bit disjointed. It's been at least five years since I wrote ANYTHING so I may be a little rusty. I'll get better. Promise. Either that or you will learn to accept my sloppy style.

I suppose it leaves US with looking at those SDS's - Simple Declarative Sentences. Start in Matthew and go all the way to III John. See if you are DOING what Jesus has commanded. See if you know any "exceptions" to these simple commands.

These are truly simple commands. Remember Christianity came about when it did - outside of technology - and was SUPPOSED TO BE so simple an uneducated Corinthian sailor could understand and grasp the Gospel! So why is it so hard for us?

And, I'll be back soon with another entry. I suggest following me via Twitter - @snarkyprophet - or signing up for email notices or if you know how to subscribe to an RSS feed you can do that.

My thanks to Professor Michelle Thebo of Bath Spa University, UK for reminding of the 1500 word rule. 1420 to here Professor!

Peace be with you,

+Scott