For Such a Time as This: Thoughts and Reflections on Ferguson

It has now been two days since the Grand Jury in Ferguson decided not to indict Darren Wilson. If one thing has been made apparent, we have a lot of work to do in this country to bridge the gap that divides the races. I in know way claim to have all the answers, but to be quite frank I am disgusted and dare I say angry at the response of many white Christians who claim the name of Christ. If you are not a believer, please know this article is not written toward you, but I believe you can benefit as well. So, let me dive right in and share my thoughts on situation. What is happening in Ferguson is merely a symptom of a much deeper disease that has imbedded itself in this country for the last 500 years. As much as we want to look back on our history, it’s time for White America to face the fact that Blacks in this country have not been granted equality and continue to suffer from systemic injustice that stems from a history of enslavement and injustice. It’s not as if the injustice stopped after the Civil War. From the Jim Crow era up until Civil Rights movement with Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, African Americans endured lynching and countless acts of injustice suffered at the hands of those who were supposed to protect them. We cannot isolate events such as Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner from this past. It all takes place within a greater context that many in White America have chosen intentionally or unintentionally not to see. This is the first failure that I have seen in the response of many. They choose to isolate this event and act as if Michael Brown got what he deserved. He was a criminal and a thug who disrespected a police officer and was responsible for taking his own life. I don’t claim to have all the facts, but it’s not simply about due process and having the facts. The bottom line is that all life is sacred. As Dr. King once said, “If black lives don’t matter, no lives matter.” We must engage this as a tragic situation in which a young life was taken. Right or wrong, criminal or not, we must mourn with those who mourn and not simply say justice was served because of due process. There is a human element and we must respond on all levels and be sensitive to both sides. Moving forward, I want to challenge everyone to do their homework. Study our history in this country. Read widely about civil rights and the slave era. We cannot move forward until we come to terms with our past. It’s readily available, but are you willing to do the work and accept the truth? Second, I believe we as a country and people are losing the ability to listen. I’m not talking about hearing each other, I’m referring to the art of truly listening and processing what is being said before speaking. I fear that many times we talk at each other rather than to each other. I challenge White America to seek out Black America and just hear their stories. Listen for once and let them speak from a heart level. As they share their stories and experiences, don’t write it off as an over reaction. Just because you don’t think you’re racist, realize that all things are not equal in this country. As a white male, I have had opportunities afforded to me that black males have not. Third, as a Church we must do better. If reconciliation cannot happen in the Church, where can it happen? It’s time we face the racial divide head on and seek to reconcile our differences through the redemptive power of the Cross. We have no excuse for being divided on racial lines as the living Body of Christ. How does this look? I have the privilege of attending a multi-ethnic congregation in Charlotte, NC. The church is still largely divided along racial lines in the South. I can attest that when the Church is intentional about becoming a multi-ethnic community, it is beautiful. It creates a safe environment to dialogue about racial issues. We are united under the Cross and our bond is much deeper than race and thicker than blood. There is a unity within diversity that is powerful. As we start to communicate, listen, and understand each other, you will find that stereotypes will fade away. Engaging those of another race becomes natural. I can attest that my Black brothers and sisters have taught me much more than I have taught them. There is solidarity that exists within the Black community that has been forged through centuries of suffering and oppression that White America does not have. In many ways we speak different languages, but that doesn’t mean we have an excuse not to learn. It takes hard work, humility, and transparency, but we must treat the disease and not the symptoms. This can only be done through the Gospel and begins with reconciliation within the Church. We can’t merely treat the pain. We must open those wounds and scrub them with the Truth of the Gospel. Is it painful? Absolutely. But this is the only way true healing can begin. God made all people and all people deserve to have a voice. To my Black brothers and sisters, I hear you. I stand in solidarity with you. I mourn with you. I pray with you that we can stand together and be a voice in this community at such a time as this. To my white brothers and sisters, I challenge you. Seek to listen and learn. Pray that justice will rain down in righteousness. Engage your Black brothers and sisters. Don’t be afraid to take a stand and speak up. We have been passive for too long and its time we speak and stand with our brothers and sisters. I love you all and pray that the Gospel begins to take root and we can be a light within our communities. Pray for peace and reconciliation! It’s our time!

Chick-fil-a: A Primer on What's to Come

Over the past few weeks I’ve been distantly observing what has been unfolding in regards to the “Chick-fil-a” controversy. I generally hate getting involved in these sorts of controversies, but this time I felt compelled to share a few of my thoughts regarding what is happening. If I could choose one word to sum up how I feel about the whole fiasco, I would choose “grief”. My heart and spirit are grieved for both our society and fellow Christians who have not responded in what I consider a biblical manner. So, what follows is written and directed toward those who claim the name of Christ. If you do not consider yourself a Christian, by all means feel free to read on, but please understand that I am writing from a Christian perspective and a biblical worldview defined by God in Christ through the Holy Spirit as defined in the Bible. I am aware that these views are not popular in our current culture, but please be sensitive and know that I love you and care about each of you. I hope that those whom I have had the privilege to know over the years, on both sides of this issue, can confirm that I have been respectful and genuine in my friendships and interactions over the years. To begin, I am going to address my fellow believers in Christ first. After I saw the initial reports about the comments that Dan Cathy made, it did not surprise me in the least at the hostile response that occurred in its wake. What did surprise is the seemingly equal hostile response directed toward those who took their stance in boycotting Chick-fil-a. In my opinion, it just revealed the biblical illiteracy in understanding the nature of the world in which we live and our responsibility to be lights in the midst of the darkness. This world is a very broken and fallen place filled with broken and fallen people. It’s messy and these sorts of controversies are just a mere symptom of a much deeper problem, namely people are lost and do not neither cannot understand the truth. They are blind and it is our job as Christ followers to shine the light of the Gospel. Do we stand for Truth? Absolutely. Do we engage the lost? Absolutely. Do we support biblical values regarding the family and marriage? Absolutely. But we must first realize that the world does not see things as we do and when these controversies occur, we should respond with a heart that is grieved by what sin has done to humanity and long for reconciliation through the Gospel—the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We should NOT respond with anger and a spirit of vindictiveness. Newsflash! We do not live in a Christian nation and we can never legislate morality. I believe in affirming our rights to free speech and free enterprise, but people can also choose not to support or shop at a business for any reason they choose. At the heart of the current controversy lies in what D.A. Carson would term the “intolerance of tolerance.” There was a time in which tolerance was defined and understood as “accepting the existence of different views” and recognizing that other people have a right to have different beliefs or practices. This is what is termed the “old tolerance”. In other words, the old adage “agree to disagree” sums up the traditional, historical understanding of tolerance. However, in light of the post-modern world in which we live, tolerance has been re-defined to mean “the acceptance of different views” or that accepting another position also entails believing that position to be true and endorsing it. Carson summarizes that “We move from allowing the expression of contrary opinions to the acceptance of all opinions; we leap from permitting the articulation of beliefs and claims with which we do not agree to asserting that all beliefs and claims are equally valid.” The change may be subtle, but there is a vast difference of how one will be viewed when you do not endorse or agree with an opposing belief. To complicate matters, this new view of tolerance is held to be the greatest virtue in our society, so not to hold this view is to be labeled a bigot, a hate monger, and someone who is small-minded and uninformed. As Christians, we must accept that living in a world where this understanding is a non-negotiable that we will be labeled as such and we must be prepared to respond with love and not vindictiveness, grief and not anger, and continue to speak the truth in love. If we are not careful, we can fall into the trap of viewing Christianity through “new tolerance” and be angered that they don’t accept our beliefs as being equal to their own. We must come to an understanding that there is a cost to pay in following Christ. We will be accused of being intolerant, but this is okay because Christ said this would happen (Jn 15:18-25). So, now that we have established the philosophical pre-suppositions on tolerance, I want to offer a few suggestions on how we as Christ-followers should respond. I believe there are namely two errors we need to avoid. The first is total retreat. This is the one that I am drawn towards because let’s be honest, who really enjoys controversy. It is tempting to be silent and just withdraw from these types of issues. This isn’t about Chick-fil-a per se, but a symptom of a much larger issue. As believers, we must stand firmly on the truth of God’s Word and preach the whole counsel of God, whether it is culturally acceptable or not. We cannot apologize for God’s Word. What God has revealed in Scripture is for the good. He is God, not us and whatever He has revealed in His Word is Truth, whether we fully understand it or not. The Gospel is Good News, not Good Advice and as such we must faithfully proclaim the message of the Gospel and what God has done for us in the person and work of Christ. It is the Gospel and the Gospel alone that will transform hearts. It is the “power” of God. We will never be able to change the minds of people on these issues by retaliating and responding with anger and vindictiveness. Preach the Gospel, both incarnationally and proclamationally. The second error we must avoid is vindictiveness. I have to wonder what the whole Chick-fil-a day really accomplished. Sure, it was a way of affirming and supporting a man’s business who stated his beliefs of the biblical understanding of marriage, but what was ultimately accomplished. It is easy in these types of situations to get wrapped up into a belief that we can transform our society merely through political means. If we can pass some laws, then we can withdraw and sleep easy at night knowing we did our part. However, all that politics does or can do is merely slow the decaying process. Having this understanding fails to understand the true problem and only treats the symptoms without ever getting to the root cause. As Christians, we believe that every human being has intrinsic value and is created in the image of God. This is true regardless of race, gender, nationality, social class, sexual orientation, etc. Even after the Fall, men and women maintain the image of their Creator. Sin is a human problem and we are all equally in need of the Gospel of Christ which is offered freely to all. As Christians it is easy to make an issue such as homosexuality different than other types of sin. For instance, Jesus says that if you look at a woman with lust, then you have committed adultery with her in your heart. There is not a man in this world that is not a spiritual adulterer in need of the atoning work of Christ, myself included. I am an adulterer. Going forward, we must focus on Sin, not sins—the disease, not the symptoms. Jesus died for everyone in order that we may be set free from the curse of sin and death. So, when we are faced with these situations, is your heart angered or grieved. If you are angry, be angry at what Sin has done to the human race. Pray for those who insult you. Have you honestly prayed for the hearts and souls of the lost? Pray that their eyes will be opened and they will be given ears to hear. Will it be mutually received? Not always, but perhaps God in His mercy and grace will reveal Himself. This is about the Gospel, not about what political party you associate yourself with. Stand firm. Pray often. Be patient. And above all, love everyone whether they hold your point of view or not. This is only the beginning of what’s to come and we must not retreat or become vindictive when faced with the cost of following Christ!

where are the men?

Since my time of arrival here in Korea, my heart has been grieved and broken for both the abuse of women and the failure of men to fulfill their God-given duty and responsibility to protect, provide, and sacrifice for our ladies. I live in what amounts to the adult entertainment district in my city and prostitution is rampant. I have been solicited at least three times since my arrival and cannot even ride the elevator in my apartment building without being bombarded with business cards of call girls and advertisement for prostitution. Just this morning as I was leaving my apartment, I could hear the loud screams and cries of a woman in a dispute with her husband or boyfriend.

All sin is an offense against God and his holiness, but some ‘sins’ are especially grotesque in demonstrating the horrendous nature of this disease that we all possess. Sexual assault is rampant throughout the world. One in four females have or will be assaulted in their lifetime and one in six males will experience some form of sexual abuse. Unfortunately, the perpetrators involved in most cases are either relatives or acquaintances. The results are often tragic and traumatic, sometimes lasting a lifetime. In addition, many women are enslaved through sex trafficking against their will. Sadly, in most cases the abuse has little to do with fulfilling sexual desire, but is more about dominating and controlling an individual through an abuse of power.

God created men to be protectors and providers. He created the woman from his rib, close to his heart to be loved and under his arm to be protected. However, since the fall, men have failed over and over at protecting and loving women. God gave men women as a gift to be cherished, not as a possession to be abused. He created men to sacrifice for them, placing their needs before their own, not to take from them for their own gratification and lusts. Since the fall, most men tend to be passive in not protecting the women God has given them, or domineering and overpowering. Both extremes are equally bad and do not contribute to ending sexual assault. On the one hand, the passive men are not taking the lead in protecting our ladies. On the other hand, many domineering men are the ones who are responsible for the abuse. It is high time that men, especially those who claim the name of Christ, begin to fight to protect our ladies and not simply turn a blind eye to all the abuse that is so prevalent. This is not a problem that is isolated to any one country or part of the world. So, where do we begin?

I want to speak specifically to the men, although, I believe that the ladies can gain from this as well. Men, I know that we are living in a world where we are absolutely bombarded every day with images of the sexual nature. I am in no way immune and I have definitely had my fair share of struggles in resisting temptation. Even if you haven’t succumbed to temptation, Jesus says in Matthew 5 that if you’ve looked at a woman with lust, then you have committed adultery with her in your heart. Basically, he levels the playing field and says that we are all adulterers. What man hasn’t had a moment of weakness in which he has looked to long or allowed his imagination to run free. Like all sin, the result is a skewed and distorted way in which we view women. Women are not merely tools or objects to fulfill our sexual desire. They were created in the image of God with dignity and honor. Out of all creation, only she was found to be a suitable match for man. Every time you look at a woman with lust or view pornography or sexually explicit material, you are participating in the propagation of destroying the way in which women should be viewed. Behind every picture or movie, there is a real human soul that has probably experienced a life of abuse and neglect that has resulted in them willing to sell their bodies and dignity. This should grieve our hearts to the core. We should develop a holy hatred for all such sin and pray that God gives us spiritual eyes to see the horrendous and heinous nature of such depravity. It should break our hearts to see a woman abused and treated as nothing more than an object. If you begin to view women for who they really are as God see them, then I think it will serve as a huge impetus to fight temptation. I know in my own life and through my own struggles that nothing has served me better than developing and cultivating a God-honoring, biblical view of women.

Men, we would serve ourselves well to seek to understand the nature of the female heart. God created her with the desire to be pursued, loved, protected, and sacrificed for. Christ should serve as our ultimate example in seeking to make this a reality. He demonstrated his love for His bride, the Church, by making the ultimate sacrifice of giving his life for her. If called upon, each of us should be willing to lay down our life. He pursues even when we don’t want to be pursued. Like a delicate glass, He is always gentle and never overbearing. We should demonstrate this same love to the women he has given us. Think of it this way. When God blesses you with a woman, he has entrusted her to you. You are responsible for demonstrating Christ’s love to her and for her. That is a huge responsibility and not something to take lightly. It is the most precious gift that He could ever give a man. Do not squander the opportunity. You are never more masculine than when you understand and lead the way that God intended you to lead. Study her. Romance her. Lead her. Love her. Pursue her. Pray for her.

Once you cultivate a biblical view of women, it is time to take up arms and start fighting against sexual abuse in all forms. I am no expert and by no means a perfect example, but I know that the Gospel is the only thing powerful enough to combat sin and bring positive change to the world. Everything else merely slows the decaying process. Part of the reality of living in a broken and fallen world is that this will be a continual battle. We must be willing to go into the trenches and shine the light of the Gospel into the broken and shattered lives of the abused. It’s not glamorous, but they need to be rescued. Christ saved and rescued us while we were at our worse. How much more should we be willing to give our ourselves for the sake of those trapped in bondage and abuse. You can begin by simply praying for those around you. Every night when I’m walking home and I see these women, sometimes even on the same elevator, I just pray for them that God will deliver them from the bondage. My heart grieves as I long to see them set free. There are other avenues and many great organizations out there, but I believe that it has to start with each man coming to terms with his own God-given role and responsibility to nurture and cultivate a biblical, Christ-centered, Gospel-driven, sacrificial, love for all women. Your responsibility is to love your wife first if your married. If your single, then you should begin and pray that you are able to stay pure. All women are God’s daughters and when you fall into temptation you are also sinning against your future wife. Pray, pray, pray! And when you find that girl that you want to pursue, don’t play games with her heart. Ask men that you respect to pray for you and when the time is right go for it. It’s never easy, but you will serve her better by letting her know where you stand. If you’re not sure, stay away from her!

In closing, I just want to mention one more thing to my brothers. If you’ve messed up, dropped the ball, fallen into temptation, or even been a perpetrator of some form of abuse, you are not outside the grace of God. Is it sin, yes! But Christ died for that sin. Come to Christ and cry out to him with a heart of repentance and you will be made clean. That’s not to say that there won’t be consequences--emotional, physical, etc.--but the penalty of that sin has been paid by the blood of Christ. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Don’t allow the enemy to paralyze you with guilt and shame. Conviction is from the Holy Spirit and leads to repentance. Guilt and shame is from the enemy and leads to wallowing in sins that are forgiven. I would recommend finding a brother and seeking some counsel, but please come to the Cross where there is always forgiveness!

I pray that each man will examine himself and allow the Gospel to change your life and mind from the inside out to become the men that God has created us to be! Press on, brothers! It’s a tough, broken, fallen world, but our ladies need us.

the Lie

The biggest lie we must all overcome in this life is that it is not about us and our happiness, but about God and His glory. This is what distinguishes the hypocrite from the true believer. Jonathan Edwards, probably the most gifted theological mind in American history, says that the hypocrite only comes to Christ because He endorses their desire to be made much of. In other words, their whole perception of the Gospel is anthropocentric or ‘man-centered’. The only reason they come to Christ is because they are seeking a life of comfort, happiness, prosperity, and prestige. They know nothing of the holiness and majesty of Christ. They do not see the seriousness of sin and how it is a disease that is encompasses their entire being. They do not see themselves as being in need of rescue, rather, if anything they believe that God needs them. It is the height of human arrogance to de-throne Christ and place ourselves in His place and demand that He bow down to meet our demands and give us anything that we desire. They domesticate God and deify themselves. At the very least they are bringing God down to their level. There is no distinction between Creator and creation. How ludicrous! How preposterous! This is nothing less than idolatry. They exchange the truth of God for a lie and choose to worship the creature (in this case ourselves) rather than the Creator. And then, when things don’t go as they wish, they turn around and blame God as being unjust, unfair, and unloving.......

Edwards would go on to say that the true believer embraces Christ because of their desire to make much of Him. Out of state of brokeness and desperation, they see their plight and need to be rescued. The more they see the holiness of God, the more they realize the depth and seriousness of their sin. They realize that they are spiritually bankrupt and destitute. Their entire sustenance and well-being must come from outside themselves. They realize that even their righteousness is as filthy menstrual rags tainted by their own filth. In turn, this produces mourning and they begin to grieve over their hideous and heinous state. It is at this moment that Christ rescues them! The spiritual corpse is given life. They are given spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear. As they look to the Cross, they see the love, mercy, justice, and grace of God on full display. They are so captivated and smitten that they remain at the foot of the Cross and for all eternity will sing the song of the Redeemed:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!...Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to received glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created...Worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

The lie is as old as Eden. “You will not die, you will be like God knowing good and evil.” Along with our parents, we are born into this world broken and alienated from God and each other. We seek to cover our shame and guilt by sewing fig leaves together, hiding from the only One who can truly cover our sin. Just like the garden, God must provide the sacrifice. Blood must be shed. Death must occur. Thankfully, He provided the ultimate sacrifice by offering His own Son to die the death we deserved to die! Our guilt has been taken away and our sin atoned for! This is the very heart of the Gospel. May we put to death once and for all the Lies that our hearts are so easily drawn to!

twenty-nine

Today, I turn twenty-nine years old. As I reflect back on this past year, it is filled with memories of pain, hurt, and loneliness. In many ways, it was one of the toughest years of my life, but through the midst of pain and loss, I can honestly say that God is faithful. Many times, life’s trials are the crucible in which our hearts are tested and refined. We can praise Christ in the good times, but our faith is tested in the difficult times. It is through fire that our lives are placed on the anvil as God pounds us more into the image of His Son. I can now look back and thank God for all that He is doing and continues to do in my heart. Although the pain was real and there are still some days that are difficult, I know that He has a purpose and there was and is a lot of junk in my heart that needed to be dealt with. It was in the midst of this brokeness, however, that I learned many valuable lessons that I pray that I never forget. Here is my best effort to share some of what I have learned:

GOD DOES NOT BLESS SIN: Unfortunately, in my stubborn and obstinate heart, I had to learn this the hard way. God will always receive glory, but He will never bless sin. When we claim the Name of Christ, we are called to live a life of obedience and holiness. Not out of duty, but out of love and gratitude for what He has done for us. There are always consequences of our sin and I paid heavily for my unrepentant heart.

GRACE IS TO BE RECEIVED NOT ONLY DISPENSED: I learned through the midst of my struggles that I easily dispensed grace to others, but had a difficult time receiving grace into my own life. I believe this stems ultimately from pride because I want to fix things and sew fig leaves to cover my shame and guilt. But, like Adam, this is never the solution. God must be the one to provide the sacrifice and blood must be shed. At the Cross, God provided the ultimate sacrifice in His Son Jesus and it is through His shed blood that I am counted righteous. I am learning to accept this as a free gift and rejoice in this fact!

REGRETS FROM THE PAST AND FEAR OF THE FUTURE PARALYZE YOU IN THE PRESENT: To this day, I have many regrets for decisions I’ve made and for not leading well in other areas of life. I believe that it is healthy to take an honest assessment of your failures, but at some point you have to move on and accept the grace and forgiveness of Christ. I know that I have a tendency to beat myself up and wallow in my past. Was it sin? Yes! But Christ died for that sin! It’s the same with the future. When we focus either on past regrets or we fear the future, we simply miss out on the present and all that God is teaching us.

LIFE IS MORE ABOUT OUR HOLINESS THAN OUR HAPPINESS: This is a tough lesson to learn, but a very important one. Life is ultimately about bringing glory to Christ and this is usually displayed through suffering and pain more than blessing and prosperity. This past year, I experienced deep loss, but it was through this situation that I realized the depth of my own sin and just how desperately I needed to be rescued from myself. It drove me to the Cross and for this, I am thankful!

Although there are many more things I could share, these sum up the major life lessons that I have learned over the course of this past year. This life is tough and the more prepared we are to face the realities of living as broken people in a jacked-up, fallen world, the more effective we will be in facing life’s trials. The Cross is the only solution that deals with the problem of evil and sin, yet upholds God’s mercy, grace, and love. I pray that over this next year I will continue to grow in whatever Christ has for me. Each day, I pray that I die to myself and pursue the only source of true happiness--Jesus. I thank God for each of you that He has placed in my life! I pray that we are able to connect at some point over the course of this next year!

Michael