The New Adventures of an Old Preacher

Language is such an interesting study. It is fascinating to witness the evolution of words. It can happen gradually or overnight, but words and the concepts they express do change and in some cases, even vanish.

Anyone sat in the parlor lately for “courting” purposes?

“Sin” and the concept it represents may be one of the next words evolving out of our vocabulary. Always a word connected to Christian theology it once was used in a broader sense to identify the wrongs and ills of the greater culture. Slowly it moved out of more common use and is now on the verge of evolving out of the pulpits and pews of Christian culture.

Recently I watched a television news magazine’s feature on one of the most popular Christian preachers in America. He preaches to tens of thousands in his church on Sunday and millions more via various media outlets. He purposefully does not use the word “sin”. In his quest to only focus on the positive he has left this word behind. He may possibly speak about mistakes, slip-ups, regrets or maybe even wrongs but not “sins”.

Stand by for an announcement, “Sin” has left the church building!

Is this a good thing? Is it just the natural evolution of a word?

Or should we be concerned? Can we even have Christian theology without the word and concept which is “sin”?

I do want sin to vanish but only through the blood of Jesus. I think I will continue to use the word in my sermons. After all it must still be a big bad deal. Christ died and arose to free us from it.

If the culture of fear has a partner in creating an atmosphere of anxiety, uncertainty and pessimism it is the culture of criticism. The will to and the way of criticism thrives in our society. Often it seems that anyone and everyone with access to a computer or a microphone readily joins in the critic’s chorus without regard to the damage being done.

Obviously criticism has a place. Well-intended constructive criticism shared in a gentle spirit of mutual respect can accomplish needed changes and growth, but in our current culture of criticism there is little place or patience for this. It is all about tearing down with little regard of building up again.

We find in our national and local politics. It is a hallmark in all branches of our media. Unfortunately we discover it even in our churches.

Being a critic takes little effort. There is no doubt that we all can find a reason to criticize anyone or anything if we so desire. If our goal in such criticism is to merely expose mistakes, deflect impropriates of our own, expand a personal agenda or to be destructive, then we represent this harmful and ugly culture. It is simply irresponsible to offer criticism without also offering positive alternatives and solutions.

Jesus was a target of the culture of criticism and was acquainted with its dangers. He used absurdity to illustrate its folly.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother; ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’; when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? (Matthew 7: 3-4)

He used the word “hypocrite” in his next sentence and the culture of criticism often appears hypocritical but that seldom slows it down. It grinds on leaving anger, fear, gridlock and failure in its path.

Of all of the places that should eradicate this critical culture the church should be foremost. Yet it exists and has even flourished in God’s family creating pain and division that frequently lingers long after the harsh words are spoken. To this end the Apostle Paul warned:

If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. (Galatians 5:15)

His emphasis in this text immediately before this verse was on love- and Christ’s love is the way to eliminate the mean-spiritedness found in the culture of criticism. Love motivates us to do no harm to our neighbors and even when constructive criticism is warranted, love will ensure it will neither bite nor devour.

God has given us clear teaching on how to work together to approach and solve our differences and the way of the culture of criticism is not found in it. (See Matthew 5:21-26; 38-48; 18: 15-22; Ephesians 4:31-32; James 1:19-20; 2:12-13)

Let’s honor the culture of Christ and refuse to allow the culture of criticism any entrance into our hearts and our churches.

We are back from Lithuania- and I will blog all about it once I get some pics to share. In the meantime…

Missiles in the Middle East; Heightened terrorist alerts; Nuclear threats across the globe; Iraq; Afghanistan; Global warming; Looming hurricanes; Soaring gas prices; Predicted pandemics; Outrageous medical costs; Illegal immigration; Life is not easy in our post-Christian world. We live in a culture of fear.

Every morning our newspaper headlines deliver it. Everyday our twenty-four hour television media outlets thrive on it. Be afraid- be very afraid is the not-so-subtle message.

Some would argue that it has always been this way. We just now have the technology to instantly feed the fears. Certainly fear was a constant in Christ’s day. Even though the iron fist of Rome ruled, Palestine was just as unstable then as now. War, terrorism, disease, poverty and hunger were widespread. The culture of fear is simply the culture of man.

But not of God! (See 2nd Timothy 1:7) Christ confronted even our deepest fears and conquered them. His resurrection triumph revealed fear’s empty power. Wars will rage, injustice will abound, disease will take its toll, economies will fluctuate and poverty will always exist, but in Christ we do not have to fear them. Believe this:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)

Maybe that was the message of good news that captivated so many of his generation. Maybe it will do the same now.