Old Testament

Who decides if you are a Christian?

Yesterday I was a guest on HuffPost Live with Rev. Paul Raushenbush, HuffPost Senior Religion Editor and two other authors. (You can watch the segment here. I come in around 12:00 and 19:00) We discussed the coming out of NBA player Jason Collins and the conversation turned to Christianity. Collins briefly mentioned his faith and his relationship with Jesus Christ.

As the segment on HuffPost Live progressed, the topic of “Who decides if someone is a Christian” was dancing around as an unspoken question. Perhaps what sparked this was the recent story of ESPN’s Chris Broussard comments concerning the topic of Jason Collins. Broussard raised eyebrows when he said:

“I’m a Christian. I don’t agree with homosexuality. I think it’s a sin, as I think all sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman is… If you’re openly living in unrepentant sin that’s walking in open rebellion to God and to Jesus Christ.”

As I was asked about pro-athlete’s faith on HuffPost Live and how they live their faith. I commented that athletes who have moral failures often have their faith questioned. Then, the segment turned to how a Christian is to read the Bible and interpret it. An online commenter posted this scripture and the host read it on camera:

‘You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.” Leviticus 18:22

We discussed the scripture and another guest dismissed the above law with other holiness codes in the Old Testament (shell-fish, etc…). The host asked, “How can we respond to that?” I made the point that so many other laws are not followed such as, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The host remarked that wasn’t a law. I said, “Yes it is!” I made the argument that many Christians do not follow this law when confronted with difficult topics, such as homosexuality. And, we must first begin there.

In the end, what was really discussed was who decides who is and is not Christian. Jason Collins said he is a Christian, but some Christians do not think he is a Christian. Rather than judge him first, I believe we need to first heed the call of Christian of how to treat others who we disagree with.

Who decides if you are a Christian? You? Your church? Other Christians? I want to hear from you!

Maundy Thursday

Why we call it Maundy Thursday

Today is Maundy Thursday — no, not Monday Thursday, which would be an interesting concept: society could work Monday through Thursday, with Fridays off! Some Christians misunderstand that this day is only a “Catholic” celebration. Christians both ancient and modern have remembered Christ’s last supper with his disciples on Maundy Thursday, which begins the great triduum, the three days of the paschal celebration.

The word “maundy” comes from the Latin word maundatum for “commandment”, which comes from Jesus’ words from the last supper: “I give you a new commandment; that you love one another…” The full Latin phase is maundatum novarum, which means “a new commandment.” According to Robert Webber (The Services of the Christian Year, #252), these words were translated in the French word mande. This in turn was anglicized into “maundy.”

During this day, Christians celebrate Jesus’ last supper with his disciples through serving and receiving communion with a special service. Often, all of or some of John 13 is read. This scripture recalls: Continue Reading…

Ash Wednesday

A Baptist Who Celebrates Ash Wednesday?

Huh? A Baptist who celebrates Ash Wednesday? That’s like an American celebrating Boxing Day. The two just don’t go together.

Despite the misnomer, Baptists do celebrate Ash Wednesday and Lent, especially this Baptist. Two of the classic Baptist distinctives is local autonomy and soul liberty. Each Baptist church has the freedom to worship however the church sees fit. Since we Baptists do not have a book of worship or order, like other denominations, Baptists are free to worship as they feel led. This, of course, does not happen in a vacuum. I have always believed that Baptists must be led by scripture, reason, tradition, and experience (the Wesleyan Quadrilateral) with scripture being the final authority.

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent. The goal of Ash Wednesday is to reflect upon our humanness, our need for forgiveness, and our connection to Christ’s last days. These themes are symbolized by the imposition of ashes on the forehead, with the words, “You are dust and to dust you shall return…” during the worship service. In the Old Testament, ashes were a sign of penitence and mourning. Job was known for placing ashes upon his head to mourn the loss of his family.

Sure, Catholics do it, but that does not mean that we become Catholic if we receive ashes. We are merely participating in the greater historical liturgical practices of Christians. There is nothing magical about the ashes. You are not any more holy for participating in Ash Wednesday, but it is just another way to experience the presence of God in our lives in a symbolic way.

But, where did this act of worship and repentance on Ash Wednesday come from? Christianity Today provides some insight:

Who decides if you are a Christian?

Why we call it Maundy Thursday

A Baptist Who Celebrates Ash Wednesday?

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