The Angus T. Jones Decision

Entertainment news seems to lead the way in headlines each day, which is sad in and of itself.  Still, today's lead story is worth attention.  Angus T. Jones is a 19 year old actor who has been on ABC's "Two and a Half Men" since 2003.  Apparently Angus has entered into a relationship with Jesus and is learning what it means to be a follower.  He has felt led to repudiate the very show that has made him a multi-millionare before his 20th birthday.  Angus says his faith mandates that he tell people not to watch the very show on which he stars.  (I'll bet today's "Two and a Half Men" rehearsal was interesting!)

A multitude of media questions have hit the airwaves and cyberspace.  Is this legitimate or a publicity stunt?  Shouldn't he have taken the matter to his producers and co-stars before going public?  Should he walk away from the show now, or is a Christian obligated to fulfill a contract no matter what?   As believers, when we watch television shows, "Two and a Half Men" or whatever, are we just keeping up with the culture in which we must offer Jesus, or are we just filling our heads and hearts with filth?  (I have to confess a weakness for Chuck Lorre's other show, "The Big Band Theory.")

For now, though, let's just assume Angus' conversation and decision are legitimate and of the Holy Spirit...I certainly hope so.  As followers of Jesus, how many of us are ready to make the decisions that will cost us?  (Yeah, I know...Angus has plenty of money in the bank!)   Right or wrong, Angus put himself out there.  He may have sacrificed relationships, a career, and who knows what else.  I have to ask myself, is my commitment to Jesus and the cause of changing lives anywhere near that level?  Would I go public, at risk of ridicule and rejection, to declare my allegiance to God and God's view of how human life should be perceived.

I'm not pretending to have answers for anyone.  I'm just raising a question with which I think we all need to live for a while.  I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

Secession? Really?!?

I have a number of wise and faithful friends.  Today I want to give a shout out to my guitar-playing friend in Christ, a man called Woody.  Woody is a part of a small prayer and Bible study group of men with whom I meet weekly.

Last week we found ourselves reflecting on the aftermath of the 2012 Presidential election in our country.  That had been on my mind and heart a lot in the recent weeks.  Fear seemed to drive so much of what went on.  I've heard from deeply committed followers of Jesus who fear that the United States is on an immoral pathway to destruction that they feel has been accelerated by Barack Obama's re-election.  I've also heard from equally committed Christians who feared Mitt Romney's Morman worldview and/or felt anxiety about a perceived lack of compassion for the poor and powerless on the part of Mr. Romney's camp.  Some Americans apparently are frightened enough to try to convince the states in which they live to secede from the Union.  (Just a historical question...How did that last secession effort by many states work out for everyone?  I'm just saying...)  One e-mail I received asked an apparently desperate question after the election:  "What are evangelical Christians going to do now?"

I'm thankful for this group of men with whom I meet every week.  They know the answer to the question.  What are Jesus-followers supposed to do now?  The same thing we were supposed to do under George W. Bush, the same thing we are supposed to do now under Barack Obama, and the same thing we're supposed to do under the next president - Seek and save the lost; go to all people and make disciples of Jesus the Christ; change lives; transform communities and the world; spread scriptural holiness throughout the land.  Our mission has NEVER been contingent on whoever was in political power.  It has never answered to those in power, nor has it depended on those in power.  Had it ever been so dependent, the movement of following Jesus would have died before the Roman Empire did!  

Observing some of the Christian hand-wringing and paralysis following the election, Woody cried out, "Where's the faith?!?   Why be so bogged down by fear, whoever won?  Where's the FAITH?"  He's spot-on right.  No matter what's going on in the world around us, whether in politics, culture, economics of whatever, God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of faith.  If we're driven by fear, that comes from somewhere else.  Fearful as life can become, our mission doesn't change.

I'll see you around the next bend in the river.  Republican, Democrat, or Independent - don't be afraid!

Kristallnacht - 74 Years After

November 9 is an important day of remembrance in history, though I doubt if many will commemorate it.  Seventy-four years ago this night National Socialists in Germany unleashed terror on the Jews of Germany.  In a frenzy of vindictiveness they burned synagogues, arrested Jews, and destroyed Jewish businesses.  The night known as "Kristallnacht" served as prelude for one of the most venomous genocides human history has ever experienced.  Sadly, for the most part, the Body of Christ in Germany did nothing to denounce it or stop it.  More than likely, many who would have regarded themselves as Christians were indifferent to the event or even approved of it.

Adolf Hitler made use of a principle that, unfortunately, leaders have used all through the human story.   If you want to galvanize people, particularly people who are discouraged and frightened, give them something/someone to hate and blame.  Would that Hitler's demonic destruction of the Jews of Europe were the only such use of this principle before or since.   In fact, I feel an uneasiness about this even in these days of political uncertainty, financial cliffs, and climate turbulence.  People are frightened and uneasy, everywhere.  You can sense the unsettling scent of people wanting to blame someone for all their difficulty, to channel their unrest into suspicion, judgement, and vindictiveness...whether the target is black people, white people, Hispanic people, people on public assistance, wealthy people, Islamic people, Christian people, old people, young people, or whoever.  The drive to look for a target lurks in the dark side of our souls, and Kristallnacht may not be as far from any of us as we think.

Followers of Jesus must yield constantly to the Holy Spirit, confessing the darkness that shadows our own hearts and seeking God's help to rise above this.  From the DNA of our first century roots we have chosen not to find someone/something to hate, but to find someone to love; specifically the One who died and rose for us and every person for whom that One died.  That is the power that prevailed even when our mothers and fathers in the faith were themselves the target of Kristallnacht-like assault.

Maybe it begins with each of us examining our own hearts for blame-and-hate tendencies, even when we've cloaked those in "Christian" rhetoric.  I think that's where I'll start today.  How will you recognize the 74th anniversary of Kristallnacht?

I'll see you around the next bend in the river.