The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

AllanStanglin.com

Page 327 of 493

Behind the Pine Curtain

October 15, 2012 / / 2 Comments

I’m writing this morning from the library at the Chandler Street Church of Christ in Kilgore, Texas where I’m in the middle of preaching seven times in four days at the church’s annual Gospel Meeting. I was so happy to accept the invitation almost five years ago and I’m thrilled to finally be here this week. I won’t post another article here until Friday. That 1,000th post will contain the names of the winners in our drawing for all the books. In the meantime, I’ll be checking all the comments and engaging in those on-going conversations and you’ll have these three or four days to become eligible for the prizes.

In 2005, when Carrie-Anne and I finally got up the guts or the faith (both!) to leave sports radio and enter full-time congregational ministry, the Chandler Street church way out here in East Texas said, “Yeah, we want in on that!” Chandler Street jumped in early with a commitment to help in financially supporting my family and me while we moved to Austin for a Master’s Degree in Theology. I hope it wasn’t just that my dad and my uncle are elders at this congregation. I know it helped; but I pray that wasn’t the only thing. Even if it was, our God blessed us tremendously through the people at this place. They put a trust in me, they showed some real faith in me, and they barely knew me at all. I’ve always held that trust sacred. I’ve always been grateful to this church for their belief in me. And I’ve looked forward to this week ever since to tell them “thank you” from the pulpit in their church, to let them know how much they mean to me, and to assure them that I’ll never forget.

It’s been so good.

In yesterday’s opening prayer, Archie asked God to give me a “ready recollection.” Seriously. John Kyles promised he’d do his best to stay awake. My dad led singing. Uncle Gerald gave me an introduction that was way too kind. And we dove into the words of our Lord in John 14-16. We have already laughed together and cried. We’ve sung to our God and lifted our hearts in prayer. We’ve eaten a lot of food already at two different congregational meals with at least two more to come. My uncle told me I’d gain five pounds this week and I’m well on my way. I’ve watched this church family gather around a young woman who’d just received some devastating news and was feeling so.very.alone. I’ll watch them later today bring in dozens of children from the nearby middle school to mentor and to help with homework. I was blessed last night to sing with the young people around a fire and underneath some massive oaks trees. Today, I’ll eat lunch with my good friend, Chris Vidacovich, the preaching minister here. Tonight, I’m driving to Tyler to spend the night with Jason Reeves and his family. I’m having lunch with Uncle Gerald tomorrow. My closest family and some of my dearest friends live out here. And I’m meeting so many good, good, good people. In some ways this feels almost familiar.

But it’s different.

East Texas is not a foreign country. Yes, it’s different; very different. I flew out of the flat, brown plains of Amarillo Saturday morning, above the skyscrapers and highways of Big D, and landed a couple of hours later among the hills and lakes and towering pine trees of Gregg County. Very different. The dialect is different; the accents are more pronounced. The food tastes here lean a little more toward Louisiana and Arkansas than make me comfortable. The culture is different; even the church culture is different. I know it’s not a foreign country, but it can feel like one.

It’s so good to be reminded that people in Kilgore worship God exactly like the people in Amarillo. It’s comforting. Different types of songs, yes. Different orders, different styles, different practices, even a few different beliefs and, perhaps, different theological views. But they worship God in Kilgore just like we do in Amarillo. They praise the name of Jesus in Gregg County just like they do in Dallas and Sao Paulo, Brazil. They honor our Father here just like they do in Fort Worth and Kharkov, Ukraine. You know why?

Because Jesus is Lord.

So, it’s not just good. It’s not just comforting. It’s powerful. It’s empowering. It’s everything!

It means everything to be reminded that the Kingdom of God to which we all belong is so much bigger and better than my particular congregation or my specific city or my own country. We all belong to a Kingdom, to a holy and righteous and eternal movement, that transcends all of our individual styles and traditions, cultures and viewpoints. God’s name is praised in Kilgore and it’s praised in Beijing. Our Father is worshiped all over the world, because he alone is God. It’s big. It’s bigger than we usually think. What a blessing to belong!

Peace,

Allan

Christianity’s Las Vegas: Last Part

October 12, 2012 / / 0 Comments

(This is post #998. You only have this post and the next one to enter a comment and automatically qualify for all the books we’re giving away with the 1,000th post, probably sometime next week. See the September 20 and 21 posts for excruciating details.)

We’ll wrap up this week’s conversation as it relates to Christians and politics with a final look at Bryan Roberts’ article, “Seven Things Christians Need to Remember about Politics.” Roberts’ fifth thing to remember is “Scripture tells us to pray for our governing leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-4) and to respect those in authority (Romans 13:1-7). His main point in this paragraph is that “if you’re mocking your governing leaders on Facebook, you’re in sin and the Holy Spirit is grieved. We should spend more time honoring our leaders and less time vilifying them.”

Amen. No question about any of that. But let’s take it a bit farther. Let’s talk about our prayers.

Let me be clear in my belief that God’s Church is very political. We are committed to political thought and actions. But our politics are not of this world. We are citizens of a Kingdom that is not of this world. So do not do things the way the world does things; we do things the way Jesus does things. Not with power and force, petitions and votes; but with sacrifice and submission, love and service. Our politics are entirely different from this world’s politics.

So our prayers need to be bigger than just about the United States. God’s Church knows no national boundaries and neither does his Kingdom to which we belong. Yes, pray for the leaders who are elected in America. But also pray for the leaders and peoples of every nation around the globe. There are Christians in Iraq and Afghanistan; we have brothers and sisters in Iran and China. God is working in those places, too.

As for our congregations, I would suggest two things about our Sunday morning prayers together. If you’re leading a public prayer in your worship assemblies or Bible classes, why don’t you model something like this:

One, our prayers should be for God to work through those who are elected for his holy purposes. We shouldn’t be too overly concerned about who is elected; God’s people focus too much on the big picture to be too worried about that. Praying that the President will be impeached or that your particular candidate will be elected doesn’t count. And, in light of the politics of Jesus, it’s out of line. The prayer is that God will use them, whoever they are, for his purposes and to his glory and praise.

Two, we should pray as God’s people that we will always be submissive and obedient, that we will honor all those who are leaders of our cities, states, and countries, regardless of whether we agree with them or not. That means the rulers who hold office now and those who will hold office in the future. Romans 13 tells us that those who rebel against the government are rebelling against God.

Roberts’ sixth thing, “Don’t be paranoid,” is also very important for God’s people to remember during this political season. The United States is not going to be destroyed if your candidate loses. It’s not going to be the end of the world. We should all be clear by now that the individuals or parties in control of government actually have no control whatsoever. Our God is in control. He alone causes nations to rise and fall according to his eternal plans. That should fill us with great confidence, not anxiety. God has not given his people a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind. Stop being afraid. Besides, what happens when your candidate wins and, four years from now, all the same messes still exist? The messes in your life and in your state or country? Government doesn’t ever fix what’s ultimately wrong with this world.

And, Roberts’ seventh thing is closely related, “Stop saying, ‘This is the most important election in the history of our nation.'” I’ve heard this several times in the past few months. Almost daily, somebody in my own congregation will say it in my hearing or forward me an email declaring this to be the most critical election ever. Roberts claims the most important election in the history of the U. S. was when Abraham Lincoln was voted in as President. Before that, he reminds us, we thought it was allright to own people. Every generation always thinks it’s living in the most important moments in history. We’re not. Our parents weren’t. Our children won’t. And that’s OK. Claiming that this is the most important election of all time ignores all of ancient and recent history, heightens fear and paranoia, and puts too little faith in our God.

Let me close by repeating again what I think is a critical thing for us Christians to remember during this election season: Government doesn’t ever fix what’s ultimately wrong with this world; only God’s mercy and grace, his love and salvation through Christ Jesus, can ever repair and reconcile and produce lasting joy and peace.

“The most interesting, creative, political solutions we Christians have to offer our troubled society are not new laws, advice to Congress, or increased funding for social programs. The most creative social strategy we have to offer is the Church. Here we show the world a manner of life the world can never achieve through social coercion or governmental action. We serve the world by showing it something that it is not, namely, a place where God is forming a family out of strangers.”  ~Resident Aliens

“The Church exists to set up in the world a new sign which is radically dissimilar to the world’s own manner and which contradicts it in a way which is full of promise.” ~Karl Barth

Peace,

Allan

Christianity’s Las Vegas: Part Three

October 11, 2012 / / 9 Comments

We’re continuing the discussion prompted by Bryan Roberts’ article “Seven Things Christians Need to Remember about Politics.” Before we forge ahead, allow me to backtrack just a tad. Roberts’ fourth thing is “Thinking your party’s platform is unflawed is a mistake,” fits perfectly with yesterday’s first thing, “Both political parties go to church.” The policies of America’s political groups are formed by imperfect politicians fueled by worldly ambition. Not one political party or platform perfectly captures what a disciple of Jesus would stand for. Or vote for. If a Christian is going to vote, that Christian is certainly only choosing between the lesser of two worldly evils. Forcing Christians to choose between parties and then judging them on that choice isn’t fair and it isn’t right. By the same token, believing your party of choice has all the godly answers is short-sighted at best and outright sinful at worst.

Roberts’ second thing Christians need to remember about politics is “Political talk radio and cable ‘news’ only want ratings.” When these stations and hosts tell you they are on a moral crusade, they are lying. Straight up. These networks and personalities get rich by selling ads. And they sell ads by having more viewers and listeners. And they mostly use fear and hatred as a way to get those viewers and listeners.

You know it’s true, from the local newscast in your town to the national cable networks. “There’s something in your kitchen that could be killing your family! (long pause…) We’ll have the story at 10:00!!!” “Which national candidate’s policies contain direct quotes from Hitler’s manifesto? (long pause…) Stay tuned for the shocking story!!!” Come on. Most of these networks and nearly all the hosts are experts at fear and hatred. Their work is to divide the whole country into two warring factions that are each terrified of the other and then to continually stir up the hatred between them to make sure they stay divided. It’s so blatant and so over the top, I don’t blame anybody anymore for getting their news from John Stewart. CNN is a joke. Fox News is a 24-hour Saturday Night Live skit.

It is toxic talk that is poisoning our brains and killing our hearts. I know confessing Christians who watch Fox News five or six hours a day and then listen to conservative talk radio in their cars. That can’t be good for them! I promise these Christian brothers and sisters are not spending that much time every day with their Father in prayer or with the Holy Spirit in Scripture. So they’re filling their minds with fear and hate instead of faith and love. Labeling people and whole groups of people as evil instead of seeing them as children of God created in the divine image of our Father. Insults and threats instead of edification and comfort. Name-calling and angry slurs and violence instead of encouragement and good will.

We shouldn’t be surprised when we hear Christians use angry language to speak about “the other” political party or forward insulting emails around the church that castigate an entire race or socio-economic group or religious belief. It’s all some of them ever listen to! Isn’t it as clear to you as it is to me that most of this makes us less godly, not more? Certainly I’m not the only one who realizes this pulls us away from Christ, not toward him. We’ve been given by God in Christ the ministry of reconciliation; we’ve been commissioned by the Holy Spirit of God to reconcile. Political talk and political news feeds the opposite ministry and instincts.

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” ~Ephesians 4:29

Roberts’ related third thing to remember is “Those who argue over politics don’t love their country more than others.” And that’s the point of all this, I suppose. All this arguing and name-calling and fear-mongering is a sin. Strife and quarreling are not gifts of the Holy Spirit; those things come from a whole other spirit altogether.

The talk show hosts and national networks are increasingly biased, inaccurate, and illogical. For their own benefit and gain. And directly against your continuing Christian transformation. If you’re giving more of your time and energy to them than you are to Jesus and the Word of God, you’re serving the wrong master.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whitney starts her new job today. As of 4:30 this afternoon, she’s a bona fide, working, productive, tax-paying member of society. She’s sacking groceries at the United Supermarket at 45th and Bell. Congratulations, Whit!

Eggs and bread on top.

Peace,

Allan

Christianity’s Las Vegas – Part Two

October 10, 2012 / / 1 Comment

I posed a couple of burning questions yesterday regarding the way national politics seem to bring out the very worst in American Christians: 1) Why do we think it’s OK to speak and act and think in decidedly un-Christlike ways when we’re speaking against the people of a particular political party or acting in response to a political speech or thinking in terms of political gains and losses? and 2) If earthly politics fosters so much unchecked un-Christlike behavior in our Lord’s followers, why do we push the Church to get involved?

We’re using Bryan Roberts’ article “Seven Things Christians Need to Remember About Politics” as a guide for our discussion. His premise, that politics is the one area in which the sins of Christians are completely excused, is one with which I agree and one with which I have plenty of experience. I can’t tell you how many emails are sent and forwarded to me, almost daily, by some of the strongest Christians I know, full of slander and lies, insults and condemnation, threats and boasts.

And that leads us to the first thing Christians need to remember about politics:

“Both political parties go to church.” I’d say it a little differently, maybe. Christian brothers and sisters are in both political parties. Your own congregation is made up of Republicans and Democrats, flaming liberals and hard-core conservatives, moderates and extremists. If I’m wrong about this and only conservative Republicans go to your church, your church is doing something terribly wrong.

The political party lines in the United States are drawn in chalk. They’re constantly being erased and redrawn and they’re very easy to cross. And neither party’s shifting platform is perfect. You can’t say real Christians vote only Republican or a person can’t be a Christian and vote Democrat. Some Christians say we all have to vote Republican because Jesus is against the gay marriage position of the Democrats; other Christians say we all have to vote Democrat because Jesus is against the war policies of the Republicans. Some say the Church has to support Republicans because of Jesus’ teachings on abortion; others say the Church has to support Democrats because of Jesus’ teachings on the gap between the rich and the poor. This kind of thinking and talking and acting forces God’s people to choose between the lesser of two worldly evils. What’s a guy like me supposed to do? My personal commitments to following the King make me pro-life. I am pro-life to the max: anti-abortion, anti-death penalty, and anti-war. What party is pushing that political platform? How is a Christian supposed to choose between a party that kills God’s unborn children in the U.S. and a party that kills God’s born children in Afghanistan? I’ve got one set of politicians bragging about execution numbers and deporting immigrants and another set of politicians in bed with Hollywood and promoting safe sex education for our teenagers. A theologically-thinking disciple of Jesus would have a very difficult time honestly choosing one political party over another.

The Kingdom of God is not defined by worldly political parties and platforms and lines, and neither are its citizens. We must come to the realization quickly that in the U. S. there is not one righteous party and one evil party; there is not one good set of candidates and one bad set of candidates; there is not one Christian choice for President and one un-Christian choice for President. There is one single, massive, corrupt, and worldly system that is powered and motivated by the principles of this world and that the Kingdom of God is working right now to overthrow and conquer.

I would encourage you to never label a person who belongs to or supports “the other” political party, whichever party that is. Don’t insult them or threaten them. Don’t hate them or condemn them. One, those are decidedly un-Christlike things to do. Two, they might be a faithful brother or sister in Christ whose political choices are guided more by the Spirit of God than yours.

Peace,

Allan

Christianity’s Las Vegas

October 9, 2012 / / 2 Comments

(Scroll to the bottom of this post for details on the contest for all the books.)

Bryan Roberts has written a blog post that was modified into a recent article for Relevant magazine, a periodical that explores the tricky relationship between Christ and culture. The article is titled “Seven Things Christians Need to Remember About Politics.” I believe in these last few weeks before the U. S. presidential elections, we would greatly benefit from an honest assessment of the tension between being a Christian and being an American; we would mature and grow from an open discussion of the tension between following Jesus and being a United States citizen. Roberts’ article doesn’t go nearly deep enough, it doesn’t fully answer all the questions. But it’s not meant to. It’s intended to make us think better and to foster more meaningful conversation.

I’m not going to spend seven posts on this. But we are going to consider this together for the rest of the week. We’ll break down the seven things starting tomorrow. For today, I just want to share the opening lines of the article to provoke some thought. And some comments.

Political discourse is the Las Vegas of Christianity — the environment in which our sin is excused. Hate is winked at, fear is perpetuated, and strife is applauded. Go wild, Christ-follower. Your words have no consequences here. Jesus doesn’t live in Vegas.

Not only are believers excused for their political indiscretions, they are often cheered for committing them. Slander is explained away as righteous anger; winning arguments are esteemed higher than truthful ones; and those who stir up dissension are given the pulpit. So forgive me if I balk when pastors tell me the church should engage in the political process. Why would we do that? The political process is dirty and broken and far from Jesus. Paranoia and vitriol are hardly attractive accessories for the bride of Christ.

Rather than engage in the political process, Christians have a duty to elevate it. Like any other sin, we are called to stand above the partisan dissension and demonstrate a better way…. It’s time we talk politics in a way that models the teachings of Jesus rather than mocks them.

Roberts hits on two of the bigger questions I’ve got when it comes to Christians and worldly politics. One, why do we think it’s OK to speak and act and think in decidedly un-Christlike ways when we’re speaking against the people of a particular political party or acting in response to a political speech or thinking in terms of political gains and losses? And, two, if earthly politics fosters so much unchecked un-Christlike behavior in our Lord’s followers, why are we always pushing the Church to get involved?

When the Church of Scripture says “Jesus is Lord,” it means “Caeser is not;” when the Church of the Bible says we are citizens of Heaven, it means we are not citizens of the Empire. In the United States, the line between the two is blurred at best. During election seasons, it almost gets obliterated.

Let’s stretch our thinking on this. Let’s reflect on the Gospel implications. Let’s re-imagine our thoughts and words and re-cast them in the ways of our Lord and his cross, re-shape them in light of the new creation of his resurrection. May we be a people who receive one another as Christ receives us, who forgive others as we’ve been forgiven by God, and who love others as fearlessly and unconditionally as God loves us.

Peace,

Allan

(Today’s post is #995. On the quickly approaching day of the 1,000th post, we’ll celebrate by holding a drawing to give away a bunch of books. The only way to enter the drawing is to “comment” on any of the posts between September 20 and the day of the drawing. You can enter one time per post, up to 14 total entries, but you can win only one prize. The grand prize is all three books of the John Mark Hicks series on the sacraments of the Church of Christ: Come to the Table, Down to the River to Pray, and A Gathered People. A total of eight books will be given away, all classics, all have had a profound impact on my thinking and preaching and writing. They are my favorites. See the September 21 post for the complete list.)

Uh, Oh!

October 3, 2012 / / 2 Comments

AL WEST          W          L          PCT.          GB

Texas              93        68         .578              —

Oakland          93        68         .578               —

LA Angels        89        72        .553                4

Seattle            74        87        .460              19

The Texas Rangers took over sole possession of first place in the American League West during the first week of the season on April 9. They have held sole possession of first place in the division since that date: 177 days in a row. On June 30 they held a 13-game lead over the Oakland A’s. Last week their lead was four games with only six to play. Today, that lead is gone.

The Rangers have — choked? No, I can’t say choked; I’m not going to say gagged, either; Mary would love it if I admitted my team has choked — collapsed. Today their once insurmountable lead has vanished.

Texas has lost six of its past eight games and now must win today’s season finale in Oakland to avoid a one-game playoff against the Yankees or the O’s just to make it to the ALDS. The timing couldn’t be worse for the Rangers to play their worst 12-game stretch of the season. Over these past dozen outings, Texas is 4-8. During this time, they’ve hit just .248, scored just 3.8 runs per game, and hit .202 with runners in scoring position (18-89). It’s awful.

Should they lose this afternoon — Texas is 2-6 at the Coliseum this year — it will be an historic collapse (I’m NOT saying “choke”). Only four teams in all of Major League Baseball history have ever trailed by 13 games and then come back to win a division title. Oakland is one win away from doing it against the Rangers.

Ron Washington and his players are all saying the right things. Yes, the season long goal of winning the West is still there for the taking this afternoon. Yes, this team is more than capable of going on an offensive tear and piling up huge offensive numbers with clutch hits and winning a bunch of games in a row. Yes, that streak could start today. It could.

But you’re seeing what I’m seeing, right? The body language tells all. These Rangers appear to be beaten. The hang-dog expressions, the slumping shoulders, the shuffling feet — it says a lot. And the A’s really do have something special going on. While I’d like for somebody to smash that showboating Balfour in the mouth with a line drive back up the box, you have to admire what’s going on with the Swingin’ A’s. They’re incredibly young, really talented, and having a very good time. There’s an energy there. There’s an attitude. It reminds me of the 2010 Rangers which, now, seems like a long, long time ago.

Here’s hoping Ryan Dempster can go a full six or seven innings and only give up a couple of runs. Here’s hoping that if Wash insists on putting Soto behind the plate, the benefit of his working relationship with Dempster will outweigh his failings with the bat. Here’s hoping Kinsler is wide awake on the basepaths and Hamilton is dialed in tight. Here’s hoping Adrian Beltre is starting at third base and Mark Lowe misses the bus to the stadium.

You can text me after 2:30 this afternoon. But don’t call.

Go Rangers.

Allan

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑