January 30, 2008 at 3:36 pm (Raleigh)
44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church[a]daily those who were being saved.
~ Acts 2:44-47
The Book of Acts is a great model for how followers of Christ should live. Today many people live in mainstream society and get their spiritual fill on Sunday. I believe that if we use Acts as an example of how to live, we can live out the kingdom in our daily lives.
Living communally is something I’ve been thinking about lately. I’m in my senior year of college and I live with 3 other people in a house. Even though we don’t really share our possessions, we still save a lot of money by sharing bills, sharing food that is about to spoil, and keeping people in check by making sure that they put on an extra sweater instead of using heat when it’s cold.
When I read through Acts, I always get real passionate about doing things the old school way. Even when I think about when I’m married, have kids, am a teacher, I still really want to try to live communally.
Next year I will be in my first year of teaching, and I am planning on moving to Philly and living with a few people from Circle of hope. When I told this to people at work, they couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t get my own place. But, I don’t understand why I WOULD get my own place, when I could live in community.
I want to dive deeper into the communal living described in the book of Acts where people are more willing to share. I think this should be our goal. It would save a lot of resources, and money which could be used for fighting poverty.
I can’t understand why anyone would want a gigantic house all to themselves, or if you have an extra bedroom, why you wouldn’t put someone in it. If you have company staying with you, then you can just sleep on the couch. It makes sense to me.
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January 25, 2008 at 4:50 pm (Raleigh)
I can’t stand it when people say that our government needs to be molded to uphold christian values. Jesus came and told us there is only one authority and that is God.
It is NOT the state’s business to declare that homosexual couples can’t get married. They do not have the authority to step in. If a church does not want to marry a homosexual couple, that’s fine, that is the churches decision. I’m sick and tired of the state enforcing this kind of authority over people. They need to stay out of people’s business. If it’s not hurting anyone, then what’s the big deal. Homosexual marriage is not going to destroy the sanctity of marriage or threaten heterosexuality, unless you are a serious homophobe.
I don’t care if you think gay marriage is wrong in the eyes of God, or that the Bible says it’s wrong. It is besides the point that I am not convinced it is wrong (I’ve studied up quite a bit on the issue and there seems to be major complexities with context as well as translation problems). IT IS NOT A BIG DEAL.
This is one of issue that is very serious for republicans and conservatives. WE HAVE PEOPLE DYING over in Iraq. I am lead to believe through the Holy Spirit that these larger issues are what God wants us to focus on. Ending poverty, ending oppression, instilling peace, NOT petty issues like whether or not homosexual couples should be allowed to marry.
Think about this when it comes election time. What are the real issues? Our failing economy? the war in Iraq? Poverty? Gay Marriage?
I’m trying to think of another example of when the state thinks that it can enforce it’s views on the public when it’s not their job, but i can’t think of any right now.
Abortion is a different issue because it deals with individual lives.
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January 21, 2008 at 11:23 am (Raleigh)
Last night at Circle, we discussed Dr. Martin Luther King and his advocacy of nonviolent resistance. King believed it was his duty to fight for social justice. He claimed that the Spirt of the Lord was upon him.
Dr. King fought to bring an end to tree evil powers, even though he knew that he would probably not see the end results of his dreams within his lifetime. The tree evils are:
Racism
Poverty
War
MLK’s strong beliefs in Jesus’ message of love and nonviolence may be overlooked today, which is why I am going to post some of his quotes:
Was not Jesus an extremist for love — “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.” Was not Amos an extremist for justice — “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of Jesus Christ — “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. So the question is not whether we will be extremist but what kind of extremist will we be. Will we be extremists for hate or will we be extremists for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice–or will we be extremists for the cause of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary’s hill, three men were crucified. We must not forget that all three were crucified for the same crime–the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thusly fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment”.
“I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land”.
“Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was seen sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar because a higher moral law was involved. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks, before submitting to certain unjust laws of the Roman empire”.
Today we do not find many extremists who fight and defend Jesus’ word. MLK believed that being extreme was the true way of following Jesus today. When we think of Christian extremists, we do not think of Dr. King, but instead we think of fundamentalists who persecute non christians and base their beliefs off of misinterpreted texts, or maybe prosperity preachers.
It is important that we realize that it is possible to put an end to racism, war, and poverty, and this is what Jesus wants us to work towards.
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January 16, 2008 at 7:18 pm (Matt)
One underlying concept in my previous post “Idealism and Practicality” was the dichotomy of changing the (social/political) context in which we live or focusing on how to rightly live within the (social/political) frame we have. Ensuing discussion got me thinking about Christ and how He dealt with this. Of course, as Raleigh said, He prayed, and taught us to pray, for God’s Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. But how exactly did He strive to make this happen?
Idealism to an extreme would mean seeking to alter our social and political context…actually encouraging and enacting the overthrow of the nation’s government and radically shifting the way society is structured. Practicality is NOT the other extreme…the other extreme is conformity, where we accept the current social and political constructs at face value and take no exception to them. Practicality is actually the middle ground, and I believe it is the example that Christ set for us.
The Jews expected the Messiah to come and impart idealism, by overthrowing the Roman government and establishing God’s Kingdom in a very literal way. Some of the disciples and Jesus’s followers anticipated the same. This is not what Jesus did, nor was it what He meant to do. The government was oppressive, and the social structure was messy. But Jesus did not become so radical that he began to lead an uprising militia against Rome, and I don’t think this was because it would not have succeeded. If God wanted His Kingdom to reign, He very well could have caused it to happen (He is God, after all). This was not what Jesus concerned Himself with though. Jesus went to the people, underneath the government, directly into the oppressed and outcast of society, and led a revolution that overthrew personalities rather than political bodies. He never sought to set up a political thearchy and sit at its head, He spread the good news of personal salvation and social justice, that He might sit on the throne of our hearts. After all…the kingdom of God is within us.
If the government is oppressive, it should not be our aim to correct the government; it should be our aim to uplift the oppressed. If society is disheveled , it should be our aim to seek out and help those who get the short end of the proverbial stick. I think this may be in the back of Paul’s mind as he writes the often-controversial Romans 13, when he tells Christians to live within the law but to fulfill it first and foremost by loving one another (see verses 8-10). However, I should note that while I have consistently referred to society and political structure in the same breath in this post, I think that society is much more ripe for change, and much more readily changeable, than national politics. I have no problem with striving for change in our self-absorbed, celebrity-obsessed, financially irresponsible culture, and I think such change would do infinitely more good than change in our overall political scheme.
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January 16, 2008 at 2:26 pm (Raleigh)
I was listening to War Pigs by Black Sabbath, and it blew my mind. I never really thought too much a bout the lyrics to this song until today. Ozzy really spoke to me.
Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of death’s construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds
Oh lord yeah!
Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to poor
Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait ’til their judgement day comes
Yeah!
Now in darkness world stops turning
Ashes where the bodies burning
No more war pigs have the power
Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of judgement, God is calling
On their knees the war pig’s crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan laughing spreads his wings
All right now!
I have to agree with Ozzy’s way in which he thinks God is critical of war, and how He will bring judgement on the governing authorities which wage war, as satan just stands watching and laughing at our foolishness.
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January 15, 2008 at 6:31 pm (Raleigh)
I was just discussing with my mom the death penalty issue. She believes that if somebody kills a person or multiple people, they are entitled to the death penalty.
I told her that I think that it is wrong for people to take the life of another person in any way (which includes war), and it is not our responsibility to “play God”.
It is very difficult for me to make a point verbally (which scares me since I start student teaching in a week), so after thinking our conversation over, I decided to send her an email, which I thought I would share:
I think the death penalty is wrong because it is taking someone’s life, and that’s something only God can do. Since we don’t know the outcome of what would happen if we did not choose to put a person to death, how can we be sure of God’s plan for that person? Maybe God was planning on revealing himself to that person, but it would be too late if he or she was already put to death. I don’t think a predestination argument is applicable in this situation, as not all people believe in that. A lot of people believe that they are somewhat responsible in their salvation, but if we execute someone, then we are not giving them the chance to become ’saved’. I myself don’t exactly believe in salvation this way, but some people do. I think salvation is something very complex and we can’t understand it completely, but if there is a chance we are messing with it, then that’s enough for me to say that the death penalty should not be supported.
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January 14, 2008 at 4:29 pm (Raleigh)
Our friend Josh was in a snowboarding accident yesterday had a pretty severe head injury. He’s in a medically induced coma right now. Please pray for him.
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January 11, 2008 at 7:40 pm (Raleigh)
Dear Conservatives,
What are you trying to conserve?
Dear Liberals,
What are you trying to liberate people from?
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January 11, 2008 at 4:32 am (Matt)
I sometimes have the problem of distinguishing my ideal beliefs about how things ought to happen, and how I ought to respond to things, in a “perfect” world from how I ought to live and act in the rather imperfect world in which I have been given life. For example, ideally, I am an anarchist and a communist. If people were flawless, an anarchistic commune (or series of communes) would be the optimal form of civilization. However, people are not flawless, and in addition, the United States is not going to become an anarchist commune anytime soon. (I’d rather it not, really…it would be a total disaster, since it would not be effectively managed. We’ve seen anarchy and communism attempted, and both are failures when practiced by corrupt people.) Therefore, as a citizen of a “democracy” (really, a polyarchy, as Noam Chomsky illustrates), how am I to live? How much of my governing authority am I to support, and in what ways am I to support it? I can’t live like an anarchist. Not only is it an ineffective escape from reality, but it does nothing to make my corrupt environment and situation any better. I can’t crawl into a shell and hide from the american powers that be.
For another matter, the issue of idealism v. practicality comes up in my theology and ethics. My inability to properly balance the two has caused unnecessary dissension between my girlfriend and I. Only recently has this enabled me to realize that I can’t always apply my idealistic attitude to the actual life I have led or am leading. (edit:) A lot of this post stems from things I only realized to be true after Carole presented them to me, and she deserves the credit for that. When I write things in this blog, I don’t mean to sound like I’m the person with all the answers, figuring out exactly what’s right and wrong by myself. Most of my posts are inspired by or address subject matter from someone else’s thoughts or writings. My beliefs and attitudes are a dynamic entity, ever refined by people and things around me helping to point me in the right direction – toward God’s ideal for this world.
Certainly God wants us to be the best people we can be, and to act in the most righteous and good ways we are able. But we have to live and act in the contexts we are in. That doesn’t mean we cannot or should not strive to alter our context when it is prudent to try to do so, but it does mean we should not detach ourselves from reality in a futile effort to live in a fantasy world where idealism can be more fully realized. This world will never be an ideal until Christ returns to draw all creation to Himself. Until then, we have to do the best we can with what we have.
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January 8, 2008 at 4:14 pm (Raleigh)
I just got finished reading the book of Jeremiah. I was deeply discouraged by this book. It seemed to deal a lot with God’s wrath. So I started tuning out when I was reading it. My initial impression of the book, which stuck with me throughout reading it was that God just wanted to destroy people. When I finished the book I wanted to read some comentary about it.
So I read an essay Michael L. Westmoreland-White and another by John Howard Yoder. It turns out that Jeremiah is one of the best examples of Judaic pacifism in the Old Testament . Zedekiah, who was the king of Judah at the time asked Jeremiah if God was on his (Judah’s) side for the war. Jeremiah assured the king that God was not! God says:
Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands with which you fight against the King of Babylon. . . . And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger and in fury and in great wrath! (21:3-5)
All I saw when I read the Book of Jeremiah was God’s wrath. I missed what the whole book was about. I guess I learned the lesson that it is important to pay attention when you are reading and to not just give up early and try to plow through in order to finish as fast as possible.
It is also extremely important that we read the Old Testament through the lens of Jesus. Jesus is God and the God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. Trying to smash the misconception that God in the Old Testament is angry and destructive is very difficult, but I’m starting to realize how well the Old and New Testaments are connected.
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