Every Journey Has a Story - An Introduction (Part 4 of 5)

My personal revelations are not the only reason why I cringed when I began to write this series. My “fear and trembling” also deals with the political climate in which we find ourselves, both in America and around the world.

It causes me pause because much of what I am to say will be viewed through an extremely entrenched political lens (which incorporates sociological, religious, economic, and psychological worldviews into it). It is inevitable, I suppose. We see things so divisively today as conservatives, libertarians, liberals, progressives, nationalists, fascists, socialists, Republicans, Democrats, Green Partyists, constitutionalists, and marijuana legalizationists, just to name a few of the voting parties out there these days (and I won’t spend the time listing the smaller, more bizarre groups, like the one for pirates or transhumanists. They are too numerous to list!).

We have our subcategories, too, within these political camps. These delineations and divisive points of order help groups better define their arguments. They also help these camps make sure bits of crucial information important to their cause “remain pure” by locking them up in their respective, ideological cages. Heaven forbid, if one of those little liberal or conservative devils jumped out and mated with our political enemies’ beliefs. We’re not too keen on political hybrids in today’s society. If we’re not calling these people “sellouts,” “RINOs,” “compromisers,” or “un-American,” then we are calling them “racists,” “Uncle Toms,” “bigots,” “homophobes,” “xenophobes,” “hate-mongers,” and the like. We all know that once you get publicly labeled, the “optics” are hard to escape. Especially if numerous sources start parroting the same information. “I saw it on multiple websites, and even in the newspaper, so it must be true.” And even if the “report” is eventually proven to be false, the damage is already done. The label has already smeared your good name and irreparably damaged your cause. They don’t call it “the power of the press” for nothing.

Needless to say, the political climate can get pretty vicious. And when you add election years and social media components to the mix, then vicious becomes devilishly vile…on steroids.

You might think I’m talking only about the politics that occurs “out there,” outside the church, in the highways and byways of the industrialized world. I wish I was. But within the church, sadly enough, there is just as much politicized conflict. All I have to do is mention a president’s name from the last five presidencies, and immediately, hackles go up that will puncture the heart and soul of even the most devout. It’s not pretty.

Oh, the intolerance of the tolerant…

And the unrighteousness of the righteous, which brings me to the third “cause for pause” as to why I fear and tremble.

Yet, despite my reservations concerning my personal failures as a believer and the political climate of the day, these aren’t the only reasons that cause me concern with the writing of this series. It’s also the theological climate in which we live. Everybody has an opinion on the weightier things of life these days as they try to find meaning among the madness. Christians. Muslims. Jews. Hindus. Atheists. Agnostics. Name the group. It doesn’t matter. Just check out the latest social media rants for evidence to this fact. The ability to comment on everything around the globe in perfect anonymity as “CatMommyx5intheBooniesUSA” or “TheologicalTheo4MyGoddess” doesn’t help matters either.

Believers act and behave like non-believers in this regard:        

·       So long as someone says something that agrees with my “theology” (and my political views as well, because let’s face it, they are very inextricably linked in today’s age of post-modernity), then he or she is my “brother” or “sister.” 

·       If a person says something contrary to my “theological” views, then I must correct them and shut them down (and often “shout” them down). It is my duty and mission to do so. All I care about is being right. All I care about is making sure my beliefs become the “law of the land.” Making sure the people I want in positions of power get voted into office to protect said personal, political, and theological views.

Then, in an experiment in theological futility, watch the comment section explode as one person after another weighs in with his or her take on the subject at hand. The comments often become brutal, haranguing, and belittling to the other contributors until nobody’s theological stance seems right anymore.

Or righteous, for that matter.

Never mind that a soul may hang in the balance, looking for hope as he or she stands on the outside of the back-and-forth salvos, looking in. We’re all about the winning of arguments and elections, not leading souls to the Savior, while civilization is losing that which makes it possible: civility.

Also, when you examine these theological comment sections, notice how many of which, by the way, have political components tied to them as people mix and match theology and politics, sometimes seeing them as harmonious and interchangeable. (See “Pharisees,” “Sadducees,” and “teachers of the Law” for references in Matthew 12:2; 12:24; 15:1-2; 16:1; 19:3; 21:45-46; 26:3-5; 27:1-31; John 8:45-53).

I mention all this to show just how far we have drifted away from the shore as a church today. We are so far away from God, we don’t even recognize His Words anymore unless they are woven together with the great thinkers, the great movers, the great shakers of the world today. And sadly, those thinkers, movers, and shakers do not even have to be godly or Christian. If they were historical rock stars, have large congregations, write New York Times Bestselling books, or appear on television, then God must be smiling down on that person and ministry, right? Isn’t that how we determine godliness and success?

Truth has become extremely relative in the prevailing theological winds of today’s culture. If someone dares to claim a truth to be “absolute,” then the fireworks really begin. “That may be okay for you to believe, but not for me.” “That’s how you interpret the Bible, but I interpret differently.” As some people read this blog post, they will accuse me of saying exactly those words, no doubt. Yet, Jesus said He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and nobody could get to God except through Him (John 14:6). Jesus said there is only one way to Heaven. Period. And He was merely quoting Old Testament scripture (see Exodus 20:3-6 and Isaiah 45:22 for examples).

Are the words of Jesus in John 14:6 “complete” enough for you? Or do you feel the urge to say, “Yeah, but…”?

Do you understand now, at least a little, why I am filled with trepidation in writing this series? It’s not because I fear reprisal or have too thin a skin to take on the negative reviews and comments that will surely come. I am fearful because I, too, was once like this…having opinions on everything. Opinions that were rooted in some kind of lofty, educated state of personal aggrandizement. I still wrestle with this from time to time. Well, actually, on a daily basis. More so than I care to admit. I understand why Jesus said in Luke 9:23-27 that if anyone wants to follow Him, he or she must take up his or her cross and follow Him daily. It’s called “dying to self.” Not being “a lover of self,” as Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:2. And it must be a daily act on the part of the believer. It can’t be an occasional act one day a week (usually the day after Saturday) or a seasonal thing around Christmas and Easter.

The believer must not take up the cross one day and then desire to go back to his or her former life on another. Jesus was very clear about such thinking (Luke 9:61-62; cf. John 21:15-19). Such religious efforts will only garner a trip down the broad road (cf. Matthew 7:13). I know I’ve had to seriously curb my diet of social media and even change how I surf the web so that Mark Zuckerberg and others like him could no longer influence me with their algorithms, attempting to “gin up” the crowd.¹

As I dig deeper into God’s Word, particularly the Creation account in Genesis and Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, I find myself grabbing myself by the arm when my heart wishes to jump on a popular bandwagon. I’m less likely these days to fall into the trap of political arguments for the argument’s sake, just so I can toot my horn and be victorious in my own little mind, reveling in the number of “Likes” from my social media friends. For what “victory” have I truly won?

And what did I lose in the process?

I’m less likely to get caught up in the minutia of theological wastelands that damn people and leave them in darkness more than help them see the light of Jesus. Instead, I find myself going back to the Bible, but not to learn more about the Bible, but to learn more about my status before a Holy God. To seek His face. To seek His presence. To desire to sit at the feet of Jesus. Weighing everything I do in light of the awesomeness of God in Genesis and Jesus’s words in Matthew on such weighty matters as mercy, love, humility, justice, and obedience. I find myself wanting to know what God thought about the topics of the day instead of human experts. I want to examine how He addressed issues of the heart, of the mind, of the soul.

The writer of Ecclesiastes said, in 1:9-10, that there is really nothing new happening like it is pitched to us. What has been done in the past will pop up again, repackaged and renamed, but it is nothing truly new. Therefore, because we know the writer of Ecclesiastes was correct, then what Jesus dealt with in His day, concerning His kingdom truth and its relevance to everyday living, is just as applicable to today’s societal ills as it was two thousand years ago. And since Jesus quotes Old Testament scripture as His basis for His teachings, then we can say these truths are actually applicable and trackable, all the way back to Genesis 1:1. Thus, the writer of Hebrews, in Hebrews 13:8, was correct.

* * * 

Thought for the Week:

How often do you attempt to make your views known? Or attempt to win arguments? Whether it be in person or on social media? We are bombarded with opinion shows these days. The news outlets have their shows, where the host gives opinion after opinion on every topic known to man, it seems. Radio has its talk show hosts. You can create YouTube channels and podcasts and make your own voice known. You can even have your own app.

However, in a world where we are inundated with information to the point where we care little about it, unless it serves us in some way, we may possibly be the most oxymoronic, uninformed society ever to grace the planet.

Back in the day, people like Martin Luther started reformations because the powers that be held the Word of God under a literal lock and key, chained to the pulpit and written in Latin, although no one spoke Latin anymore by the sixteenth century. Today, and unlike Luther’s contemporaries, we have access to anything and everything via libraries, the internet, books, magazines, newspapers, etc. Yet, ironically, we read less per capita than we did a century ago (and that trend is increasing). Instead, we’re content to allow the “experts” to tell us what this and that means while we surf the net, binge-watch TV, and play video games. Then, of course, after we’ve been fed all that information—whether it be true or not-so-much, we run with what we deem as “true and accurate” and post it to social media, argue with others about it, and unwittingly form an entire worldview based on it.

Yet, Luke said in the Book of Acts that the Bereans were more noble than the Thessalonians (and they were highly regarded!) because they listened to Paul preach the gospel, then went back to the Old Testament to verify that what he was teaching was true (Acts 17:11).

May we be less North American, less European, less Asian, less African, less South American, less Eastern European, less Middle-Eastern, and instead be more Berean in our approach moving forward.

NEXT WEEK: In the last post of this introduction, we will take a sneak peek at a topic that will become quite substantial in the weeks and months to come.

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ENDNOTES 

¹ Dowd, Maureen. “Think Outside the Box, Jack: Trump, Twitter, and the society-crushing pursuit of monetized rage.” The New York Times. 30 May 2020. Web. 9 June 2020. <https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/30/opinion/sunday/trump-twitter-jack-dorsey.html

Pictures courtesy of  Pexels, Pixabay and the following photographers/artists:

"Riot" by Mauricio Mascaro - Pexels

"I am right..." by Mote Oo Education - Pixabay

"Drawing of stick person" - by ElisaRiva on Instagram - Pixabay