89. Another Year

Well, another year is upon us. And the question is...what to do with the blog? 

I started it with only a few intentions. The primary purpose was to present a different face to Christianity; a counter point to the Westboro Baptist Churches of our world.  And the goal was to do one entry per week.  I wanted to challenge, or at least speak (write) my mind about my faith.

          A friend of mine talks with me about exorcising the demons of my past.  Not a far cry from this working out my faith in a public setting.  And I have done so.  88 posts to date – if I post this one it will be 89. 

          I have gotten some rather encouraging feedback, much of it second hand.  For the most part the theology seems to have been ignored, and it has been mostly the trials and tribulations that has captured people’s attention.

          It seems that it is more than simple voyeurism. Maybe, in my walk of faith, or the writing of my faith, the example of someone who has more questions than answers, and has numerous contradictions, offers some comfort?  Maybe it is someone willing to say the things we only think?  But, what to do for 2015?

If this is posted, then, I will have decided to continue.

I think we as Christians need to create space for ourselves where we seriously question our faith.  And if I can be an example of that; why not?

          So here goes.

To start we were having coffee, there was four of us from my church.  If any of you are in the Vancouver area and are looking for a place to call your spiritual home, the Urban Village Church would be it.  It meets Sundays (duh) at 11:00 (sort of) at the Collingwood Neighbourhood House.  Urban Village Church has allowed me to not only go to church, but has also allowed me to feel that I fit within the entire scheme of Christianity.

          Back to the four of us.  We were talking about religion.  I make a smart ass comment that religion seems to me a competition as to who God loves the best.  And that often our competition is based on how bad you are.  That is because it is easier to find fault with you.  If you are like me, your obedience to the Lord is seeing what I can safely get away with without incurring his wrath. 

          Thus, it easier to say, “See Jesus I am not like him.”

          Or her.

          And there are many of us, and as always I include myself with this, that play this game.  There is a down fall, serious down fall, to living our spiritual lives out like this.  For often in the game of my righteousness is purer than your righteousness we use the court of public opinion, or our standing in the fellowship, to prove that we are better than you.  Thus, we live our lives not in obedience to God, but in compliance to popularity.

          We see this most clearly in the debate over homosexuality.  It is an issue that has no impact on the church.  Those of us who claim that homosexuality was the downfall of the Roman Empire, yes I have heard that, should do a bit of historical reading.  But the lack of authenticity of the argument is really, God loves us best cause we are not like them.  I cannot think of another reason why the debate over the Gay Rights exists other than to reassure ourselves of our goodness - we are not like them.

         

Over the next few weeks, whether you follow along or not does not matter, I want to work out a concept that has been on the edge of my thoughts.  It seems to me, that much of the bible is aimed at getting us in the right direction. I still see it as a love story, but I also see God trying to teach us how to love him.  As well, how to love each other. 

Central to this is the concept of power over.  The idea that power is the ability to make others do what we want.  I think we humans are addicted to power over and its companion punishment.  We create God in our image, we make him like we would be. 

So, I am to post.  Next week I will elaborate on the concept of Power Over and its implications in religion.

Til then, it is my prayer that you all have a great New Year, and that you come to know the joy, love and peace of God.