Two Good Starts

Last night I attended the "very soft launch" of Word Made Flesh - Canada. When Mark Petersen gets this motivated by a charity it is always worth checking out; and it was.

But the best part of the night came earlier, before I left home.

I was telling my 5 year old son, Ben, that I was going to hear a man who lives with people who don't have enough money or food. Ben asked why the man (Chris Heuertz) would do that. I explained that God loves everyone, but he has a special love for the poor. Ben nodded thoughtfully, then disappeared upstairs for a minute. When he came down he solemnly handed me the entire contents of his giraffe piggy bank and told me to give it to the man who helps the poor people. Then he drew a picture for them of someone who was given "clothes, food, money, a hat, and a house".


My son is more like Jesus than I am.

It was a sacred privilege to give his donation to Chris and after last night's event I am glad that Ben's first entry into generosity was in support of such a good organization.

Being Neighbourly

We've been in our house for almost three years. It's the kind of street where people rarely leave until the really have to, most of the houses are a little over 50 years old and many are still on their first residents.

This fall the neighbours on the east side of our place moved out, they needed somewhere with fewer stairs to accomodate their aging health. We spent a few weeks watching out our living room window as people came to see the house; who would our new neighbours be?

We've been hoping for either a family with young kids for ours to play with, or (even better) a teenage girl who could babysit. When the sold sign went up we watched even more closely and it seems like we didn't get our wish. We haven't met them yet, but it looks a couple in their mid-50's bought the place and are having a lot of renovations done before they move in. I can admit to being a little disappointed.

The thing is, whoever these people are, they are our neighbours. Today I read an article from Carolyn Arends, a musician I used to love a decade ago who now does a fair bit of writing and speaking. She talked about the reaction she had when her lovely family neighbourhood was overrun by grow-ops. What does "love your neighbour" feel like when the neighbour is in handcuffs?

A New Beginning

I really hope President Obama can deliver on some of the hope he has brought to both Americans and many in the rest of the world. I'm excited about the way he has set an entirely different tone for governing and engaging with people than his predecessor had. An amazing example is the new white house website.

Any chance Canada's political leaders will follow suit?
(Didn't think so)

Pro-What

I am not particularly interested in entering into the abortion debate on blog and facebook. I have zero confidence that the complexities and emotion of it can be usefully addressed here. But I do want to share these thoughts from Skye Jethani that express what I believe is a productive shift in the dialogue:

Christians have always been pro-life. During the Roman Empire when infanticide was rampant, it was Christians who retrieved abandoned babies from outside the city walls to raise them as their own. But it was also the church that gave unprecedented dignity to slaves, women, and social outcasts. Some have even hypothesized that it was Christianity's appeal to the disenfranchised masses that fueled its rapid expansion.
But since Roe vs. Wade, the way "pro-life" has been defined by many evangelicals has been very narrow. It has simply meant anti-abortion. But now that seems to be changing. Growing numbers of Christians are embracing a wider ethic of life. Jim Wallis has called for a Christian agenda that is pro-life "from the womb to the tomb." That means valuing people after they are born, and not just before. It means pursuing social justice, equality, education, health care, and human rights. It means fighting poverty and advocating for those without a voice.

I would love to see those who are so decisive in their condemnation of abortion become half as passionate about the lives of those that have been born. They might even earn a sincere audience...

The Root Of All Evil

(Note; the title above is a misquote from the Bible where it actually says "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil" 1 Timothy 6:10)

The last year or so has seen some very public shame for a number of religious leaders who share in common the belief that God wants those he loves to be healthy and rich. The basic idea is that if we give generously to God (usually through the leader's organization) God will reward us with material prosperity. It's a very appealing invitation, especially for those who are economically struggling. Unfortunately it doesn't hold up to sound theology or practical observation.

This article gives the sad story of some of those leaders and how their followers are holding on to the teaching.

I don't really blame people for getting caught up in this. It's a very enticing idea; God will make me rich if only I stop sinning, give enough, pray enough, do enough. If I'm not rich it's my own fault for not trusting God the way I should.

The thing is, thee is an element of truth hidden here. It is a biblical principle that God provides us with all that we have so that we can bless others. Often, those who are faithful in giving their time, energy, love, abilities, and yes, money, do receive more in return. But the key to the whole thing is that it isn't a mechanical transaction.

We don't get to say to God, "I gave you $2000, now you owe me $10 000". It's all God's to begin with.

Truth only is true when it's equally true for everyone. Do the prosperity believers believe that those living in abject poverty are more sinful than the North American elite consumers? Do they think the only way God shows love is with cash?

I know this is a hugely loaded topic. I know there are tons of questions, for instances, objections, cautions, and pitfalls here. But I also know that there are a lot of people suffering with undeserved shame and false hope because they are convinced that they are only a little more donation away from easy street.

If the Bible teaches us anything, it's that there are no easy streets this side of heaven. Some prosperity preachers are finding that out now.