Conspiracy Theory

Today's readings: Psalms 72; 14, Isaiah 52:7-10, Revelation 21:22-27,  Matthew 12:14-21

"But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him." - Matthew 12:14

Sadly, we aren't especially surprised when we discover our leaders -- political, religious, or otherwise -- are not working in our best interest. Power is intoxicating, and human beings who have it generally don't like to give it up. The pharisees felt their power was threatened by Jesus and his teachings, and they were willing to play dirty to retain it. Like politicians across all times, they convinced themselves and others it was for the greater good.

It would be nice to say Christians today were not nearly as prone to conspire against Christ, but it wouldn't be true. Early Christians held beliefs that ran counter to the dominant culture. In America, Christians a

re the dominant culture. Because this is the case, it is easy to start assuming the things we value as a society must be Christian. We conflate value-neutral systems like capitalism and democracy with Christianity in a way that makes them seem like the Unified Theory of Everything Good. When Jesus gets wrapped up in marketing gimmicks and partisan politics and national pride, we have -- intentionally or not -- conspired to undermine his message. When Christians view and treat the poor as moral failures instead of fellow travelers, or allow others to do so, we have traded Christ for comfort.

What if we could conspire on behalf of Christ? What if, instead of assuming Christ values the same things we do, we lived in loving opposition to the parts of our culture -- even the self-identified Christian ones -- that betray him? If we aren't rocking the boat in radically inclusive ways, we'll never know what it's like to walk on water.

Evening reading: Psalms 100; 67

Spit It Out!

Today's readings: Psalms 46 or 97, 149; Isaiah 66:1-2, 22-23; Revelation 3:14-22; John 9:1-12, 35-38

Is mainstream Christianity too wishy-washy? Media hype about the "Culture War" between the faithful and the secular wouldn't lead us to believe so. Conservative religious voices speaking out against abortion and same sex marriage are frequent, loud and shrill. But in a time and place where Christianity is by far the dominant religion and Christian businesses from dating services to investment firms flourish, are Christians really suffering from any threats or dangers we don't fabricate ourselves? The only "persecution" we face in the USA is that people are free to speak against us if they so choose. Someone refuting our beliefs or calling us out for behavior they disagree with is in no way equivalent to oppression. Yet somehow we manage to convince ourselves we are victims, perhaps because on some level we know truly living one's faith does invite persecution, but we don't have the stomachs for the real thing.

The progressive church is not off the hook. Yes it frowns upon and occasionally speaks out against the more egregious activities of its conservative counterpart, but rarely since the civil rights movement of the 1960s does it insert itself in any meaningful way. Instead, content simply to disclaim the follies of its less sophsticated cousin, it leaves the secular culture to do the heavy lifting on progressive issues. Paralyzed by political correctness, it operates from a generic humanism wherein faith is at best charming. Church as therapy.

Neither camp, though opinionated, is bold. Mostly they preach to their respective choirs. They are the lukewarm spit out by Christ (Rev 3:15-16). Passionate Christians cling to neither of these labels (nor a moderate one) because they are too busy feeding the poor, praying for their enemies, spreading the Gospel, and visiting the sick and imprisoned to worry about any politics that don't hinder those efforts. Dedicating oneself to these works is still considered radical in all quarters because it is an implicit indictment of anyone not doing them. Christianity is the opposite of a cultural affiliation or confirmation (even its own): it is a light and fire that burns them away.

Evening readings: Psalms 27; 93 or 114