No this isn't a rerun of an old US Army commercial...
I had some visitors a week or two back from Germany (I am still putting together a rumination on their visit) and I got to reminisce about the Church we were sent out from. I had a conversation with Ingo on my front porch that involved me explaining my thankfulness at having been a part of our sending church for the years that we were there. He asked, "Why was it so special?" This was some of my response:
Church is not supposed to be about putting the best person in the best place to do the best job; creating a perfect product for the consumption of those who show up. There are so many problems with this approach to Church (it creates a clergy/laity dichotomy between those who are and those who are not, it promotes comfort over sacrifice, it promotes a 'discriminating palate' instead of an activist lifestyle, etc.) but I would rather discuss the amazing aspects of a different approach to Church.
If we stop trying to get the best person to come and put on the best show, and instead use the various aspects of Church to be the 'training grounds' for the individuals who perform the various functions, then we are begining to live out the meaning of such passages as Ephesians 4:11-16.
Here are some practical examples:
Why do we want the best worship leader leading worship? Wouldn't we rather have someone step into that position who will be grown and developed by their time in that role? Instead of finding the person who knows how to develop and oversee small groups in a church and paying them to come to your church and do that there, why not let someone who is already in the church yet doesn't know what they are doing give it a shot, in the process they will be developing the very attributes that God wants to produce in them?
There are some fundamental assumptions behind such an approach:
1) The Church's primary role is to represent the person of Jesus to the world in attitude and action, word and deed, both corporately and (more importantly) individually.
2) The role of Church leadership is not ministering to the Church 'laity;' it is equipping, educating, and empowering the 'normal' Christian to minister to the world.
(I have heard it speculated that the Apostle Paul would define the role of baptism in an individual's life the way we today view ordination. In other words, the way most people today think of the role of priests or pastors is the way Paul understood the normal Christian life.)
3) Success in spiritual terms has to do with an individual's connection to God's realm of power, not with the number of people connected to our particular organization.
4) Completing a well-defined task is not the same thing as spiritual growth.
5) Being given the answers to your questions is nowhere near as beneficial as the experience that comes from figuring out the answer.
6) If you are lacking in gifted people in your local community you do not have a resource problem you have a training problem.
Some practical ways that I have seen this walked out at the Church we were sent out from:
Consistently placing less qualified people in positions of responsibility; from the managers of the Coffee Shop to the worship leader, to the pastors, to the small group leaders, to the outreach directors, to the Sunday School leaders, etc. our church viewed a willingness to learn and to serve, and a heartfelt love for Jesus and hatred of their own sin, as the sole prerequisites for accepting responsibility in our community.
"Soft Architecture" - An intentional fuzziness in structure that provided enough room for people to struggle with God. Individuals were forced to seek their own answers, their own job descriptions, their own growth into the task at hand. There was some structure, but mostly there was encouraging relationship with other spiritual sojourners.
A willingness to let people 'mess things up' by learning through doing. Just like a parent does more work in letting their three-year-old 'help' cook dinner (but is providing all sorts of wonderful opportunities for maturing and bonding), so it is more work to let someone learn how to lead a ministry after they start leading it.
All this to say: the Church should be doing everything in its power to help every individual connected to it to come to look like Jesus
8.29.2007
8.28.2007
Healthy Community
Some thoughts on community:
Communities are defined by those inside and those outside; the Church is a community that exists for the sake of those outside of it.
The community established by Jesus should accept and welcome everyone on the sole basis of their value as a human being, dearly loved by the Creator.
Jesus' community cares about people so much that it is unwilling to see them destroy themselves, others, or the world around them. His Church will do everything that love demands it to do to prevent that destruction.
Community is not possible without a significant level of personal knowledge and transparency; it is not possible to have community with people who you do not know or do not know you.
Communities are full of people who belong to each other. Despite the personal price (in terms of annoyance, lost energy or time, money, emotional pain, misunderstanding, etc.) people will not abandon the relationships within the community.
The Church contains within itself (this is somewhat misleading as the Divine Wind is also present within the Church) all that it needs to function in power and blessing. The community on the Way of Jesus needs no additional 'ministries' or 'programs,' parachurch organizations or governing bodies, to accomplish the purposes of God for which it has been placed upon the earth. "The local Church is the hope of the world!"
God's community is not divided by economic, racial, gender, sexual, political, social, educational, or any other lines.
Communities are defined by those inside and those outside; the Church is a community that exists for the sake of those outside of it.
The community established by Jesus should accept and welcome everyone on the sole basis of their value as a human being, dearly loved by the Creator.
Jesus' community cares about people so much that it is unwilling to see them destroy themselves, others, or the world around them. His Church will do everything that love demands it to do to prevent that destruction.
Community is not possible without a significant level of personal knowledge and transparency; it is not possible to have community with people who you do not know or do not know you.
Communities are full of people who belong to each other. Despite the personal price (in terms of annoyance, lost energy or time, money, emotional pain, misunderstanding, etc.) people will not abandon the relationships within the community.
The Church contains within itself (this is somewhat misleading as the Divine Wind is also present within the Church) all that it needs to function in power and blessing. The community on the Way of Jesus needs no additional 'ministries' or 'programs,' parachurch organizations or governing bodies, to accomplish the purposes of God for which it has been placed upon the earth. "The local Church is the hope of the world!"
God's community is not divided by economic, racial, gender, sexual, political, social, educational, or any other lines.
8.23.2007
Institutionalization...
I had someone tell me that psychology has taken the place of the elderly in our society. What we used to look to our grandparents for, we now pay someone $100 dollars an hour to do for us (and of course we pay someone to take care of our grandparents in the process as well...), and I don't think we are better of for the 'professionalization' of wisdom at living.
We have taken essential aspects of society and 'trained' people how to 'do it better' and then watched as society is no longer capable of adressing these aspects...
We have schools that don't educate effectively, a criminal justice system that perpetuates criminal behavior, and a social welfare system that creates poverty; this is due to the underlying assumption that professionals are better at doing it than community is, and so undermining community in the process.
No wonder we have seen the atomization of families, the failure of community services, etc. there are professionals to do those things for us...
...do you think we are better off?
We have taken essential aspects of society and 'trained' people how to 'do it better' and then watched as society is no longer capable of adressing these aspects...
We have schools that don't educate effectively, a criminal justice system that perpetuates criminal behavior, and a social welfare system that creates poverty; this is due to the underlying assumption that professionals are better at doing it than community is, and so undermining community in the process.
No wonder we have seen the atomization of families, the failure of community services, etc. there are professionals to do those things for us...
...do you think we are better off?
8.19.2007
Brooke Astor
What is written on the tombstone of a woman who gave away several hundred million dollars?
Would you like to have that written on yours?
Would you like to have that written on yours?
8.17.2007
Basil Rocks!
If you live alone, whose feet will you wash?
- Saint Basil
Not to be confused with the other Saint Basil who was given the title Yurodivy
- Saint Basil
Not to be confused with the other Saint Basil who was given the title Yurodivy
8.16.2007
SEX Part X
These are some closing thoughts on the topic:
Click on the title link to read previous posts.
========================
We are told that we cannot change who we are, and that it would be unwise to try. It is this mentality that leads to arguments in defense of pedophilia. If what I feel is not subject to critique or to change, if my desires are legitimate simply because they exist, then where does morality go? How do we decry the arguments of Mr McClellan?
Certainly our culture is not ready yet for such a position as his, without fundamental change in the way we determine wrong and right, however, where else is it likely to go? I am not trying to yell out, "the sky is falling!" but rather ask the question, "How do we rebut these arguments supporting rampant lawlessness, if we rule out an appeal to some standard of right and wrong that exists irrespective of our feelings toward it?"
It is easy to see the lie if we take it into other realms of human behavior. To say, "I desire to have sex with my girlfriend, therefore I should have sex with her" is no different a statement than, "I desire my neighbor's car, therefore I should take it," or "I don't like my employer, therefore I should punch him."
Simply put, the desire for something does not, in and of itself, legitimize the fulfillment of that desire.
=============================
Having said this, I would like to point out, a large part of the problem is our weak sense of joy, and our unwillingness to pursue true pleasure!
"Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds ours desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
-C. S. Lewis
Like Esau traded his birthright for a bowl of soup, (Genesis 25) we trade away our God-given sexuality for fleeting pleasures that diminish as they are attained. We trade the joys of marriage (which is much more deeply and naturally sexual) for that of the idolized and romanticized life of the 'porn star.'
The adult film industry is portrayed as a glamorous world of delight...
...why is it then that the porn stars fantasize about a normal life, while they struggle with impotence, and pop pills to keep the genital herpes from breaking out?
It is not the married couple in their monogamy who are 'missing out' on sexual pleasure...
=========================
I have come to this fundamental conclusion about sexuality (it is, of course, about everything, not just sexuality):
The way of the Cross is the way of return to true human-ness...
Our humanity has been corrupted, it must 'reboot' with the 'system disk.' Jesus is that system disk; the early Church called Him the "Second Adam." Jesus is the Son of Man, the quintessential human being, the perfect representation of what it means to be human. He is the 'new' man, the beginning point of the newly reconstituted humanity, the firstborn over all creation. In Jesus we begin to see the true shape of our humanity.
If this is true then we are called to a radical rethinking of our way of life. In fact we are called to a kind of death. Our very selves must be given over, and we must take the self of Jesus. This is the way to become who and what we were meant to be.
Jesus the truly human one defines humanity, and so sexuality is also defined by him, and so our sexuality must also be submited to him (along with everything else) for crucifixion and resurrection.
I am fully aware of the arguements that some will make. The Cross responds to our claims about ourselves by stating, "The way you are defining yourself is not the central problem, the problem is that you are defining yourself in the first place! Come to me and let me set the broken bone, let me start the song in the right key, let me be the foundation for your building, let me suffer the consequences off your actions!"
Click on the title link to read previous posts.
========================
We are told that we cannot change who we are, and that it would be unwise to try. It is this mentality that leads to arguments in defense of pedophilia. If what I feel is not subject to critique or to change, if my desires are legitimate simply because they exist, then where does morality go? How do we decry the arguments of Mr McClellan?
Certainly our culture is not ready yet for such a position as his, without fundamental change in the way we determine wrong and right, however, where else is it likely to go? I am not trying to yell out, "the sky is falling!" but rather ask the question, "How do we rebut these arguments supporting rampant lawlessness, if we rule out an appeal to some standard of right and wrong that exists irrespective of our feelings toward it?"
It is easy to see the lie if we take it into other realms of human behavior. To say, "I desire to have sex with my girlfriend, therefore I should have sex with her" is no different a statement than, "I desire my neighbor's car, therefore I should take it," or "I don't like my employer, therefore I should punch him."
Simply put, the desire for something does not, in and of itself, legitimize the fulfillment of that desire.
=============================
Having said this, I would like to point out, a large part of the problem is our weak sense of joy, and our unwillingness to pursue true pleasure!
"Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds ours desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
-C. S. Lewis
Like Esau traded his birthright for a bowl of soup, (Genesis 25) we trade away our God-given sexuality for fleeting pleasures that diminish as they are attained. We trade the joys of marriage (which is much more deeply and naturally sexual) for that of the idolized and romanticized life of the 'porn star.'
The adult film industry is portrayed as a glamorous world of delight...
...why is it then that the porn stars fantasize about a normal life, while they struggle with impotence, and pop pills to keep the genital herpes from breaking out?
It is not the married couple in their monogamy who are 'missing out' on sexual pleasure...
=========================
I have come to this fundamental conclusion about sexuality (it is, of course, about everything, not just sexuality):
The way of the Cross is the way of return to true human-ness...
Our humanity has been corrupted, it must 'reboot' with the 'system disk.' Jesus is that system disk; the early Church called Him the "Second Adam." Jesus is the Son of Man, the quintessential human being, the perfect representation of what it means to be human. He is the 'new' man, the beginning point of the newly reconstituted humanity, the firstborn over all creation. In Jesus we begin to see the true shape of our humanity.
If this is true then we are called to a radical rethinking of our way of life. In fact we are called to a kind of death. Our very selves must be given over, and we must take the self of Jesus. This is the way to become who and what we were meant to be.
Jesus the truly human one defines humanity, and so sexuality is also defined by him, and so our sexuality must also be submited to him (along with everything else) for crucifixion and resurrection.
I am fully aware of the arguements that some will make. The Cross responds to our claims about ourselves by stating, "The way you are defining yourself is not the central problem, the problem is that you are defining yourself in the first place! Come to me and let me set the broken bone, let me start the song in the right key, let me be the foundation for your building, let me suffer the consequences off your actions!"
8.13.2007
Jesus' Pizza and the KJV
So I returned to the concert, pizza in hand...
I was able to have a couple of brief conversations about what I was doing and why. But most people were more interested in telling me why the street preachers were wrong, or what they disagreed with about Christianity, or what their own beliefs were. I did get to have a neat conversation with a group of 'travelers' who responded with, "This is the most random f--king blessing ever!" They seemed to be the most genuinely grateful of the bunch.
I guess there was another group of three homeless/hallucinating/street people. They asked me to pray with them. I held the hand of a homeless vet with no legs, and no fingers, and put my hand on the shoulder of young traveler who was high on something, and we prayed for God's blessing on each other and those around us, until the vet starting cussing and yelling at someone who wanted some pizza...
Then I made my mistake...
I engaged one of the 'evangelists' in conversation, "Do you think there might be another way?" I was accused, ignored, preached at, and even insulted for my lack of education (I told the man that I had a hard time understanding the King James Version of the Bible, and felt that it was an improper translation to use given the context). This, of course, led to a history lesson/conspiracy theory on the men who had perverted the Bible into some of the heretical translations we have today.
I was not listened to, cared for, or encouraged. The conversation lasted too long, took too many rabit trails, and ended exactly where it began: with me convinced that these were sincere, and sincerely misguided people, who had an unquestioning aproach to what they had been inculcated into, and the 'evangelist' convinced that I was a wishy-washy Christian who either didn't understand the Bible or didn't want to follow it.
All in all the evening left me with a sense of frustration over my own lack of foresight (why, o why, did I talk to the guy? I guess I'll die!); a sense of the overwhelming love of God for His children, especially His wayward children; and a sense of the inadequacy of what I am doing.
I did have a fleeting, yet profound experience, while walking toward the concert with Jesus' Pizza, I was praying for God's help, "I don't know what I am doing, I am not capable of doing what needs to be done here God! I am incompetent and impotent, I am an inadequate choice to be a messenger of Your Grace." And then it hit me, "THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT!" It was God telling me, "It is not your job to communicate to the heart's of men, speak your words, give away My pizza, and at some point they will hear MY words."
I was able to have a couple of brief conversations about what I was doing and why. But most people were more interested in telling me why the street preachers were wrong, or what they disagreed with about Christianity, or what their own beliefs were. I did get to have a neat conversation with a group of 'travelers' who responded with, "This is the most random f--king blessing ever!" They seemed to be the most genuinely grateful of the bunch.
I guess there was another group of three homeless/hallucinating/street people. They asked me to pray with them. I held the hand of a homeless vet with no legs, and no fingers, and put my hand on the shoulder of young traveler who was high on something, and we prayed for God's blessing on each other and those around us, until the vet starting cussing and yelling at someone who wanted some pizza...
Then I made my mistake...
I engaged one of the 'evangelists' in conversation, "Do you think there might be another way?" I was accused, ignored, preached at, and even insulted for my lack of education (I told the man that I had a hard time understanding the King James Version of the Bible, and felt that it was an improper translation to use given the context). This, of course, led to a history lesson/conspiracy theory on the men who had perverted the Bible into some of the heretical translations we have today.
I was not listened to, cared for, or encouraged. The conversation lasted too long, took too many rabit trails, and ended exactly where it began: with me convinced that these were sincere, and sincerely misguided people, who had an unquestioning aproach to what they had been inculcated into, and the 'evangelist' convinced that I was a wishy-washy Christian who either didn't understand the Bible or didn't want to follow it.
All in all the evening left me with a sense of frustration over my own lack of foresight (why, o why, did I talk to the guy? I guess I'll die!); a sense of the overwhelming love of God for His children, especially His wayward children; and a sense of the inadequacy of what I am doing.
I did have a fleeting, yet profound experience, while walking toward the concert with Jesus' Pizza, I was praying for God's help, "I don't know what I am doing, I am not capable of doing what needs to be done here God! I am incompetent and impotent, I am an inadequate choice to be a messenger of Your Grace." And then it hit me, "THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT!" It was God telling me, "It is not your job to communicate to the heart's of men, speak your words, give away My pizza, and at some point they will hear MY words."
8.08.2007
Poison Pizza and the Love of God
So I decided to add my two cents to the 'Go to Hell' debacle at our local free outdoor concert. (Check the title link if you don't know what I am talking about!)
I went down to the concert, sheet-pizza in hand, and approached the angry group of fifty-plus teens who were surrounding the 'evangelists' with their signs depicting hell. I opened up the box, said "Free pizza, just take one!" and in less than a minute it was devoured! I had three or four young people ask me why I did what I did, I responded, "Because God loves you very much and He wants to be a part of your lives." I was greeted with a cautious round of agreement, and one young man who was a little more enthusiastic about it.
That seemed to be the end of the conversation ...so I thought I would bring another pizza! I called the store, walked over and brought it back. This time I had people gather around and listen before I opened the box, "I want you to know why I am doing this," I said. "Jesus loves you." One of the kids asked, "So what, did you poison it!?" Another asked, "Are you with these guys?" (Indicating the guys with the signs) At this point I think I got a little teary eyed, "No I am not with them, I don't believe those guys are speaking for Jesus. I want you to know that He cares about you very deeply."
With that I opened the box and shared another sheet-pizza, I got a few more thank you's, and one person in particular asked a few pointed questions about who I was and where I was from and then thanked me profusely.
I spent the next thirty minutes fighting back tears, overwhelmed by God's love for these people, and this city, and burdened by a deep need to do more than simply giving pizza to people...
...our world has gone to hell! If we don't do something, who will?
I will let you know how tomorrow goes, I will be going back down to the Thursday concert.
I went down to the concert, sheet-pizza in hand, and approached the angry group of fifty-plus teens who were surrounding the 'evangelists' with their signs depicting hell. I opened up the box, said "Free pizza, just take one!" and in less than a minute it was devoured! I had three or four young people ask me why I did what I did, I responded, "Because God loves you very much and He wants to be a part of your lives." I was greeted with a cautious round of agreement, and one young man who was a little more enthusiastic about it.
That seemed to be the end of the conversation ...so I thought I would bring another pizza! I called the store, walked over and brought it back. This time I had people gather around and listen before I opened the box, "I want you to know why I am doing this," I said. "Jesus loves you." One of the kids asked, "So what, did you poison it!?" Another asked, "Are you with these guys?" (Indicating the guys with the signs) At this point I think I got a little teary eyed, "No I am not with them, I don't believe those guys are speaking for Jesus. I want you to know that He cares about you very deeply."
With that I opened the box and shared another sheet-pizza, I got a few more thank you's, and one person in particular asked a few pointed questions about who I was and where I was from and then thanked me profusely.
I spent the next thirty minutes fighting back tears, overwhelmed by God's love for these people, and this city, and burdened by a deep need to do more than simply giving pizza to people...
...our world has gone to hell! If we don't do something, who will?
I will let you know how tomorrow goes, I will be going back down to the Thursday concert.
8.04.2007
SEX Part IV
This is yet another lengthy installment on the topic of sexuality, click on the title link to read the previous statements...
After having outlined sexuality in its current state, and contrasted it with natural,* healthy sexuality, I thought it would be prudent to discuss some of the causes and rationale behind the unhealthy and unnatural state of sexuality as we find it in our world.
A quick recap: healthy sexuality is designed for the enjoyment and procreation of a man and a woman who are comitted to each other so deeply, spiritually and emotionally that they could be called "one." Unhealthy sexuality then, is any sexual expression or gratification that comes from a source outside of this type of relationship. Unhealthy sexual expression would obviously include sexual contact with anyone other than a spouse, but would also include things like pornography, fantasy, voyeurism, and even flirting. In short: any activity that provides sexual gratification involving sources of gratification other than the spouse is unhealthy for the individual in question.
Unhealthy sexuality would also include sexual gratification and expression with a spouse that contradicts, conflicts with, or otherwise inhibits, the spiritual 'oneness' of the marriage relationship. It would be damaging to both husband and wife for one of them to recieve sexual gratification from the physical pain of the other (as we see in some cases), or to coerce the other into performing sexual acts in ways or at times that they are uncomfortable with, or even to withhold sex (under certain circumstances). Healthy sexuality will function as a natural and integrated aspect of the couples comitted relationship of mutual concern and submission.
Check out this article by Dallas Willard on Marriage
=============================
The above statements are obviously seen by many as 'behind the times' and probably even 'repressive, dangerous, and controlling.' This cannot be helped! So let us take a look at some of the common reasons for our current sexual state (if you can think of more, feel free to comment!)...
"This is who I am, I can't change who I am."
"This is how I define myself."
"This is how I show and receive love."
"I am not capable of controlling this."
I am certain that there are other reasons, but I think these statements get at the twin driving philosophical undercurrents that feed our culture's sexuality. We see a fundamental lack of discipline and delayed gratification (even an inability to see the benefit of discipline and delayed gratification!) coupled with a belief that an individual can and should decide for herself what is right and what is wrong.
=============================
What is moral?
We proclaim that the individual should be allowed to live in whatever way pleases them, and that this is morality. There are many who have addressed the philosophical pitfalls of relativism, I will not get far into them, other than to say, without some reference to an outside source of ethics, there is no logical basis for them. We may look at the lives of moral atheists, but when we do we are looking at fundamentally illogical people. Without some outside standard there is simply no way of deciding that one action is moral and another is not; there is no basis for calling Mother Teresa "good" and Adolf Hitler "bad." Try it yourself and post your responses here ...how would you differentiate between the two without some outside point of reference? (This, incidentally, is the conundrum that Philosophers have found themselves in for many decades, how to determine what is good, without reference to an outside source.)
Over against this stands the Biblical picture of the universe, with God's illumination of right and wrong. God is judge not in the sense, however, of a modern western magistrate determining what the law says and interpreting it accordingly, but rather in the older sense; God is a bringer of justice. God is the source of justice and righteousness, not merely a signpost pointing towards it.
In this sense, then, we can begin to understand morality as more than a set of rules laid down arbitrarily by one who has the power to enforce them, but rather as a description of what is 'good.' God does not prevent us from doing what we want, but rather points us to what is truly beautiful, joyous, powerful, true, and good (what we ultimately want!).
What is sin?
Sin is not (as is commonly thought) merely 'bad deeds.' Sin is the flawed state of the human spirit by which we are fundamentally drawn toward actions that damage ourselves, others, and the world around us. This 'bent-ness' of the human spirit then manifests itself (the bad tree bearing bad fruit) in 'bad deeds.' It is this inward bent that is sin, a desire to take good things and use them in ways for which they were never intended. A doctrine of sin, when properly understood, would not be denied by any observant person; the world is upside-down precisely because of misplaced human desire.
Sin is the perversion of human nature (we were made in the divine image) into something less than human; and no one is immune from that corruption.
...so God does not tell us to avoid certain behaviors out of a sense of cosmic 'bah-humbug' but rather out of a deep reverence and love for His children and the world that He gave them charge over, and a deep hatred toward whatever would damage those children and that world.
The trick, of course, when it comes to sexuality (not just sexuality, but all aspects of humanity are effected as well) is that what God proclaims as 'wrong' is not perceived as such by much of humanity. We say, "how could this be bad when it feels so good?" And, "how could this be wrong when it is such an integral aspect of who I am?" Because we don't look to God as the source of right-ness we doubt His assessment of what constitutes a perversion of human nature.
But an appeal to our nature is inappropriate if our nature has been corrupted; what are we to do without God if, when we look deep within ourselves, we find that we enjoy inflicting pain on others? What if the fundamental core of ourselves is selfish? Without an outside reference point to inform us 'which way is up' we are left only to follow "the needy beast within our chest."
The power to be moral!
The simple answer to those who believe sexual desire is uncontrollable are the millions of personal struggles and victories of humans of all genders, ethnicities and orientations. My sexual behavior has changed drastically over the course of my life as a student of Jesus. The same can be said of promiscuous teens, homosexual women, male prostitutes, porn stars, rape victims, child-abuse victims, adulterers, etc. There are examples of people from literally every sociological category who have experienced a marked change in sexual behavior, and the nature and scope of their sexual desire!
We have been told a lie. We do have the power to alter our sexuality. When we align our spirit with that Spirit which guides the Universe, our sexuality will be altered (along with everything else!). There is no fundamental difference between sexuality and other areas of our person, and yet we would not think of tolerating this type of reasoning from someone who claimed an inability to control their physical violence. Many cultures have demonstrated a remarkable proclivity for chastity; our problem is not that we are incapable of discipline, only that we don't want to be disciplined.
==========================
*I understand that the word natural usually means something like "the state of being of an object that is in accordance with its fundamental nature; without outside interference." We talk about the natural state of a dog in contrast with the 'tamed' state of the same animal. Some would argue that this would mean that 'natural' sexuality then is simply whatever human sexual behavior actually is, without outside cultural, or religious pressure.
However, this ignores the basic Biblical understanding of the state of the universe: God made everything fundamentally good ("very good" in fact!) but then the very heart of man became corrupt, humanity became 'inhuman.' (Romans 1 states, "Refusing to know God, they soon didn't know how to be human either") The natural state of humanity is for us to live according to the way God made us, the way we currently live is just as 'unnatural' as if a stone were to fall upwards, or the sky were to turn yellow with pink polka dots!
After having outlined sexuality in its current state, and contrasted it with natural,* healthy sexuality, I thought it would be prudent to discuss some of the causes and rationale behind the unhealthy and unnatural state of sexuality as we find it in our world.
A quick recap: healthy sexuality is designed for the enjoyment and procreation of a man and a woman who are comitted to each other so deeply, spiritually and emotionally that they could be called "one." Unhealthy sexuality then, is any sexual expression or gratification that comes from a source outside of this type of relationship. Unhealthy sexual expression would obviously include sexual contact with anyone other than a spouse, but would also include things like pornography, fantasy, voyeurism, and even flirting. In short: any activity that provides sexual gratification involving sources of gratification other than the spouse is unhealthy for the individual in question.
Unhealthy sexuality would also include sexual gratification and expression with a spouse that contradicts, conflicts with, or otherwise inhibits, the spiritual 'oneness' of the marriage relationship. It would be damaging to both husband and wife for one of them to recieve sexual gratification from the physical pain of the other (as we see in some cases), or to coerce the other into performing sexual acts in ways or at times that they are uncomfortable with, or even to withhold sex (under certain circumstances). Healthy sexuality will function as a natural and integrated aspect of the couples comitted relationship of mutual concern and submission.
Check out this article by Dallas Willard on Marriage
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The above statements are obviously seen by many as 'behind the times' and probably even 'repressive, dangerous, and controlling.' This cannot be helped! So let us take a look at some of the common reasons for our current sexual state (if you can think of more, feel free to comment!)...
"This is who I am, I can't change who I am."
"This is how I define myself."
"This is how I show and receive love."
"I am not capable of controlling this."
I am certain that there are other reasons, but I think these statements get at the twin driving philosophical undercurrents that feed our culture's sexuality. We see a fundamental lack of discipline and delayed gratification (even an inability to see the benefit of discipline and delayed gratification!) coupled with a belief that an individual can and should decide for herself what is right and what is wrong.
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What is moral?
We proclaim that the individual should be allowed to live in whatever way pleases them, and that this is morality. There are many who have addressed the philosophical pitfalls of relativism, I will not get far into them, other than to say, without some reference to an outside source of ethics, there is no logical basis for them. We may look at the lives of moral atheists, but when we do we are looking at fundamentally illogical people. Without some outside standard there is simply no way of deciding that one action is moral and another is not; there is no basis for calling Mother Teresa "good" and Adolf Hitler "bad." Try it yourself and post your responses here ...how would you differentiate between the two without some outside point of reference? (This, incidentally, is the conundrum that Philosophers have found themselves in for many decades, how to determine what is good, without reference to an outside source.)
Over against this stands the Biblical picture of the universe, with God's illumination of right and wrong. God is judge not in the sense, however, of a modern western magistrate determining what the law says and interpreting it accordingly, but rather in the older sense; God is a bringer of justice. God is the source of justice and righteousness, not merely a signpost pointing towards it.
In this sense, then, we can begin to understand morality as more than a set of rules laid down arbitrarily by one who has the power to enforce them, but rather as a description of what is 'good.' God does not prevent us from doing what we want, but rather points us to what is truly beautiful, joyous, powerful, true, and good (what we ultimately want!).
What is sin?
Sin is not (as is commonly thought) merely 'bad deeds.' Sin is the flawed state of the human spirit by which we are fundamentally drawn toward actions that damage ourselves, others, and the world around us. This 'bent-ness' of the human spirit then manifests itself (the bad tree bearing bad fruit) in 'bad deeds.' It is this inward bent that is sin, a desire to take good things and use them in ways for which they were never intended. A doctrine of sin, when properly understood, would not be denied by any observant person; the world is upside-down precisely because of misplaced human desire.
Sin is the perversion of human nature (we were made in the divine image) into something less than human; and no one is immune from that corruption.
...so God does not tell us to avoid certain behaviors out of a sense of cosmic 'bah-humbug' but rather out of a deep reverence and love for His children and the world that He gave them charge over, and a deep hatred toward whatever would damage those children and that world.
The trick, of course, when it comes to sexuality (not just sexuality, but all aspects of humanity are effected as well) is that what God proclaims as 'wrong' is not perceived as such by much of humanity. We say, "how could this be bad when it feels so good?" And, "how could this be wrong when it is such an integral aspect of who I am?" Because we don't look to God as the source of right-ness we doubt His assessment of what constitutes a perversion of human nature.
But an appeal to our nature is inappropriate if our nature has been corrupted; what are we to do without God if, when we look deep within ourselves, we find that we enjoy inflicting pain on others? What if the fundamental core of ourselves is selfish? Without an outside reference point to inform us 'which way is up' we are left only to follow "the needy beast within our chest."
The power to be moral!
The simple answer to those who believe sexual desire is uncontrollable are the millions of personal struggles and victories of humans of all genders, ethnicities and orientations. My sexual behavior has changed drastically over the course of my life as a student of Jesus. The same can be said of promiscuous teens, homosexual women, male prostitutes, porn stars, rape victims, child-abuse victims, adulterers, etc. There are examples of people from literally every sociological category who have experienced a marked change in sexual behavior, and the nature and scope of their sexual desire!
We have been told a lie. We do have the power to alter our sexuality. When we align our spirit with that Spirit which guides the Universe, our sexuality will be altered (along with everything else!). There is no fundamental difference between sexuality and other areas of our person, and yet we would not think of tolerating this type of reasoning from someone who claimed an inability to control their physical violence. Many cultures have demonstrated a remarkable proclivity for chastity; our problem is not that we are incapable of discipline, only that we don't want to be disciplined.
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*I understand that the word natural usually means something like "the state of being of an object that is in accordance with its fundamental nature; without outside interference." We talk about the natural state of a dog in contrast with the 'tamed' state of the same animal. Some would argue that this would mean that 'natural' sexuality then is simply whatever human sexual behavior actually is, without outside cultural, or religious pressure.
However, this ignores the basic Biblical understanding of the state of the universe: God made everything fundamentally good ("very good" in fact!) but then the very heart of man became corrupt, humanity became 'inhuman.' (Romans 1 states, "Refusing to know God, they soon didn't know how to be human either") The natural state of humanity is for us to live according to the way God made us, the way we currently live is just as 'unnatural' as if a stone were to fall upwards, or the sky were to turn yellow with pink polka dots!
8.03.2007
Quote
"You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a
man is wise by his questions.”
man is wise by his questions.”
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