Microwave-Dinner Spirituality

Ding!
The microwave sounds my dinner. I unfold my little tin Autobots TV dinner tray (second hand store for 3$, a steal!) sit down on the couch and pick up the remote.*

My wife is visiting her mother.

There isn't much on here that I care to watch, I'm more of a movie man. Give me Lord of the Rings or Gladiator any day, but TV? Groucho Marx once quipped that he found TV very educational: every time someone turned it on, he went in the other room and read a book. That's me, but I have a hard time reading while trying to cut microwave steak.

So, as I flip through the bizarrely limited channels (64 on my box) here in Japan, I decide to stay focused on the 10 or so American, British and French channels I can at least somehow relate to (Japanese game shows give a new meaning to the word, 'strange.')
I see there is a show, Heroes. I think that's pretty fly if not a straight rip off of X-men. Then there is Supernatural where two brothers kinda fight the demon world. Medium pops up. That is kinda fun I guess, esp because I like the dude that plays her husband. Ghost Whisperer is on TV for two reasons that seem to be the center of every shot. Several different ghost stories on the Mystery channel (I sure do miss Jeremy Brett as Holmes...) and a number of magic, psychic and spiritual "chasers" and debunkers show up, BPRD style, on Discovery. Then again, I could go watch Angels and Demons, I always did like Ewen McGregor.

All this crud on TV - fun crud, mind you, but crud nonetheless - that plays up "spirituality" without all the heavy morality that might drive viewers away. Are we so starved for something that will pander to that hole in our soul? Hollywood's little brother apparently wants to redefine 'religion' as post-modern vague spirituality in its own terms (as though the Enlightenment wasn't enough.)

Tom Wright notes

"...there has been a resurgence of interest in our post-secular world in all kinds of vaguely "religious" or "spiritual" matters. Bookshops produce ever larger sections on "spiritual growth," with sections on reincarnation, "channeling," Feng Shui, discovering one's personal goddess and other apparently enticing topics. "Spirituality" and "divinity" have, it seems come back with a bang -- a long as they have nothing to do with anything like mainstream Christianity, which is usually represented in the same bookshops by a selection of white-bound Bibles and Prayer Books, designed to be confirmation presents and, one may safely assume in 95 percent of the cases, destined to be left to gather dust on a shelf. (Aside from that, some of the larger bookstores.... will stock lurid books of the "Jesus-was-an-Egyptian-Freemason" type but not so often the equally readable and ultimately far more satisfying books that explore the actual historical origins and contemporary meaning of genuine Christianity.)"
(N.T. Wright, The Challenge of Jesus; Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 97)

I love his commentary remark about these topics being "apparently enticing." I want to know, who decides what goes on the shelves or on TV? TV I can understand, but bookstores stock only some books while ignoring others, as though trying to tell the public that real scholarship doesn't exist, or at least pretending that what they have to offer is the real scholarship.

Why do you think we have so many spiritual placebos floating around? Any thoughts? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

*I don't really do this, its just fun to remember the 1970's. Honest.

Our Salvation!

"You have a such a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your own tradition!" Mark 7:9

It is for absolute certain no man, woman nor child has ever been saved by the hearing of a sermon. We are saved by Jesus Christ. What we, as mainstream Christianity, have dispensed to the masses in the name of Christ often proves itself to be far from what Christ, Himself, called us to. Are we to sit and listen to a monologue once a week and be content to call this the active and living Body of Christ? How many times have you heard the fella behind you snore (or woken yourself up with your own) in church? Christ wasn't crucified because He bored people! Christians should not be passive! This, then, is a call to action.

How often are men and women buried by an avalanche of tradition that started with their great-grandfather's whisper or sneeze? The last five hundred years of Protestant (and a good deal of Catholic) worship has centered its worship service on the sermon but few ask why this is so. Now, the sermon is a fine thing, but I ask, how much of your Christian life is gauged on how this week's sermon spoke to you? Just as we noted in an earlier post on "the Church," I dare you to ask yourself how much of your spiritual life hinges on a place, building or 30 minute sermon given by a man whom many regard as 'God's liaison.' The sermon may be very important but it has its place and cannot be the Christian's staple food. The sermon does a great thing to call in new converts and to educate and edify older ones, but does little for the actual growth of the mature Christian(1). How do we exercise Christ's body if the only organ we use are our ears?

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Martin Luther (whom I almost otherwise admire in every way) said that the only organ of the Christian was the ear(2). Yikes! Did he not read Paul thoroughly enough? Is the eye to say to the foot, I don't need you? Should the hand play the part of the stomach? No! What part of the Body are you? Are you what Luther called you, naught but an ear? I hope not.

As for my remark about 'God's liaison,' I know most pastors and clergy cringe at that idea. I do not mean to speak flippantly nor insult those called by God. I feel "the call" just as most clergy, to give my whole life to Christ. Let us honestly carry out these lines of thought to their Biblical conclusion. As many in Church history have pointed out, the clergy/laity divide has done more damage to the Body of Christ than perhaps any other thing. It reduces God's New Creature to castes, a higher class, where clergy are viewed as "more spiritual," those who perhaps have a bigger inheritance in God's Kingdom than the common and passive pew-a'fixed man or woman. After all, "clergy" comes from "kleros" (a word not in the NT) that means, "a share, portion, inheritance" and laity simply means "the people."

The clergy that we know nowadays is still important, mind you, but only because most Protestant congregations would be wandering the hills without a pastor. There are three reasons for this. One, some have become complacent within the church and want to be spoon feed religion. Whatever. Two, we confuse the difference between what God has given us through the Spirit and the traditions of our father's fathers. Third and most telling, we are afraid of a personal encounter with the Living God - this is a fear as old as the Exodus! Israel cried out to Moses to speak on God's behalf and be their prophet because they feared the very voice of God. That fear still lives on today.
Clearly elders, church planters, teachers, prophets (not telling the future but expounding God's word) are needed and they should be introducing us to Christ and instructing us, yes, but not leading us. That is for Jesus, Himself. I simply ask that we "laymen" (and women!) not look to clergy for our salvation! Our salvation is for Christ alone, and He is the head of us! Be not afraid of the voice of God and His Spirit that indwells you. We must trust in Him.

Has it never struck us that a passive laity means a separated Body? Must we go through a specific person, a pastor or priest in order to connect to our Lord? That is Old Covenant! Christ told us not to call any man, "Father" because we all have One Father, in heaven(3). The clergy was formed for a long list of reasons though none Biblical. But in the modern church, it isn't just the clergy I argue against, it is the laity I would urge to action! We forget that we are all a Royal Priesthood (1 Peter 2; 1 Cor. 12-14) We know what Christ says. That is why Jerome compiled the Bible for us: not to win converts, but to reinforce the apostolic teachings and so we would have the words of our Lord in our hands. The Holy Spirit is to be present in our meetings and Christ is to be the head of us. We stifle the Spirit when we refuse to let Him work and speak and minister to us and to each other.

Ignatius, an elder in the early Church (around 100 - 130) wrote some pretty startling letters to "churches" stating the importance of the Bishops and the roles they were to play. Clearly he was trying to clip heresy in the bud but obviously it didn't work. In fact, most heresies and cults have been started because one man could sway a crowd and drag them down with him to the depths of hell(4). People all too often confuse emotion for spirituality and this leads to the horror of heresy and danger of false prophets. Jonathan Edwards once noted that emotions are transient and cannot be used to measure one's relationship with God. (5) We are too easily swayed when we aren't standing on God's Word. Joseph Smiths and David Koreshes are a plenty, but their voices are drowned out when the rush of the Holy Spirit is truly active and present in the Church gathering! Paul tells us that all are to speak and share and he would that all could prophesy, but that when one speaks, the others should discern. If a brother speaks what is not true, correct him and if he won't accept correction, do not let him in your home. I suggest we all reread 1 Corinthians 12-14. This gives a great example of how the active Church should be seen... and I doubt any of them were sitting on pews.

If only one man speaks and we look to him for our Christian livelihood, we are disobeying Christ! No one is to be above the other, "He who would be first must be last." This doesn't mean that one man should be a servant to many, that is too much! O, the strain we have put on pastors with our naive and immature whinings! No wonder pastors resign at such an alarming rate. (Check out The Barna Group for statistics.)

One man is not to play the part of the whole Body and the rest but listen. Christ would not have this, and if you think He would, you should read your NT again. Matthew 20:25-28 is a great start. Pastors (a word used ONCE in the NT) and elders, shepherds, etc, are not positions but functions. We are all ministers. Get out and work. Live the Body! We are not spiritual pew-potatoes (I can't take credit for that, but I love it) but we are the hands and feet! Hands and feet move and work. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling!

Next (and last in this series): Against the Flow

(1) F.F. Bruce, F. Senn, White, Viola, Barna,to name a few.
(2) Luther's Works 29:224
(3) Matthew 23:9,10
(4) I agree with Grant and Alexander Hay that Rev. 2:6 (Christ's denouncing of the Nicolaitans) refers directly to "lording over a laity" - Nicolaitane literally means "conquering the people" Nikos, "to conquer over" and Laos, "the people."
(5) White, Protestant Worship and Church Architecture, 19)