The Actual Gospel

Is there more than one?

Last week my Sunday school teacher used the term the actual Gospel, and it yelled, “Hey, I’m a title!” Titles do that. After class I told my teacher I was stealing, uh, borrowing it. I placed it at the top of the “things to write about” pile in my head and went to church.

I wondered why my teacher felt the need to use this idiom. He said it in reference to what's available in the wide world of Western Christianity. What American seekers of all things Godly are apt to find, or not find, when they walk into a church. 

"We need to make sure we're giving people the actual Gospel," he told us.

Was he lumping his students into the church of the itching ears the Bible warns about? Did he think we might have trouble distinguishing the real thing from the counterfeit? Would we settle for something soft and comfortable? Diluted? I scratched my ears and shook my head.

Now, when I watch a TV preacher or pick up the latest bestselling self-improvement book, I expect to hear the truth, yet I sometimes find myself disappointed. Sorry, but I don’t want to learn how to be a better Christian. Well…yes, I do. But not from somebody who’s got a formula for success. As far as doing all the things Christians are supposed to do and getting all the things Christians are supposed to get, who came up with that list?

Celebrity Christians aside, when I walk into a sanctuary I expect I will hear the actual Gospel. But my teacher brought up the fact that many churches in the post-modern, post-Christian, totally relevant new world I so easily forget about are filling itching ears with facsimile gospels, just like the Old Book said they would.

What I hear at church on a regular basis seems quite the opposite of telling people what they want to hear. A few weeks ago I heard a comment that maybe we can be a little tough with the Gospel by telling people they need Christ because they’re sinners. My pastor would say something like dirty, vile, rotten sinners. But when I hear that, I don’t take offense. It makes me really, really happy. No, grateful. Not just grateful. Free. And freedom is what keeps me coming back for more.

The Gospel—there is none but the actual—is not about telling somebody they’re so loved, so perfect just the way they are that God can’t take His adoring gaze off them. And it’s not about telling people they’re so up to their necks in evil nastiness that God can’t stand the sight of them. It’s about God being so good and loving and forgiving that He desires to rescue us. God liberated me despite the depth of my sin, but He also disregarded the general goodness that might leak out of me before my death. Am I rotten? Yes. Wonderfully made in God’s image? Yes. That’s why He rescued me.

So how does that add up to freedom? Because my sin has let me go. It’s powerless. Because my goodness has let me go. It’s powerless. Don’t tell me I can sin less by being good. Don’t tell me I can improve my goodness by sinning less. If I’m good it’s because I’m forever bound to His goodness. If I’m escaping the sin that still calls my name it’s because I’m eternally bound to His righteousness. If all that being bound sounds like the opposite of freedom, then you don’t understand grace. If your itching ears entice you to forget about sin, to set your own moral gauge because God just wants you to be a good person, then you don’t know the actual Gospel. 

If you're under the impression you're too good for Hell, find a new church. If somebody’s harping on your vile, corrupt, evil self without telling you how to get free, then you’re getting suckered. Find a new church. But if you’re hearing that you’re vile, corrupt, and evil and somebody’s got to pay for it, keep listening. If it's the actual Gospel, you're about to find out who paid the price of your freedom. 

                                                        Spoiler alert: It wasn’t you.     

Potusphobia: Fear, Hate, and the President

This is part III in my series. To read previous posts, click on these titles:  

Introduction: Another Civil War in America?

Part I Racism: The Church, the Media, and the New Definition of Racist

Part II Abortion: A Once Private Decision that Became a Celebrated National Demand  

A few recent headlines:

Democrat Fundraiser Features Simulated Donald Trump Assassination

Monsters, men and magic: why feminists turned to witchcraft to oppose Trump

Duke University Shrink: Trump May Be Worse Than Hitler, Stalin,And Mao

 Trump Shares Pastor’s Warning of ‘Civil War-Like Fracture’ If Impeached

 A Failed Schiff/CIA Led Coup Against Trump Will Bring Hillary Into the Presidential Race 

Thousands of Occultists Plan Halloween ‘Spell’ Ritual to‘Stop Trump’
    (Interesting that "the vote" took place on Halloween.)

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE JOE BIDEN REFERS TO 63,000,000 DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTERS AS THE ‘DREGS OF SOCIETY’ IN SPEECH AT LGBTQ+P FOR PEDOPHILE EVENT

 'Trump' bound, abused appears in Dhvani's Times Square ad buy: 'We're not afraid'

 

I won’t get into the weirdness of these articles. The headlines are enough but click on the titles above if you want to read more. I'm not sure if potusphobia is an actual word, but it’s time to add it to the next edition of Webster’s dictionary. Americans are afraid of the president. It’s not that citizens are cowering in corners, fearing annihilation by a dictatorial leader. It’s not an attitude of respect, which is a shame because we should respect the president. This indignation is born out of a fear of loss. But what are we losing?

 

Some say we’re losing the ground we gained under the former administration. We’re going backward. We were close to securing what we perceived as equality for all, close to gaining control over the bad element in our society, close to unfailing protection, close to proper adjustments in how our money is spent, close to giving up the false notion that we live in the greatest nation ever existing. We were close to achieving a new way of life, a new American dream. And close to discarding the old dream.

 

And then, by some fluke, Donald Trump got elected. And every accomplishment of the twenty-first century was lost. Issues that had been purportedly filed away with all the reasons America was truly never great were brought back into practice. Bigots were back. (They never left.) Closed borders were back. (The laws regarding our borders have not changed. The expansion of Obama’s executive action, DACA, has been held up by the legal challenge of twenty-six states, not by the actions of one man.) Abortion was threatened. (The laws concerning abortion have become overall more lenient.) The LGBT community was put on notice. (Some may fear the undoing of Obama-era progress here, but others in the community recognize the grueling presidential task of balancing the rights of every group, including those who uphold the religious liberties upon which this nation was founded.)

 

Americans are not losing their rights, at least not by the pen or power of Donald Trump. Nevertheless, fear of a supposed new equality for all being snatched away has sent many people into panic mode. A student interviewed outside a recent event at her university balked that her school would allow Donald Trump Jr. to speak on campus since he was the son of a racist, homophobic, xenophobic president. And she was not alone. Protesters shouted through the entire presentation. Not in a “let’s debate the issues” manner, but in an “I hate you and everything you stand for” response. As I recommended a few months back on this blog, college students and young Americans need to read The Right Side of History by Ben Shapiro. While Shapiro is no fan of Donald Trump, he is a voice of reason in a time of widespread unreasonableness.

 

While a portion of the American public may fear, or resist, or want to rid themselves of the current president by any means possible, there is another expansive group of supporters who believe the man is doing okay. He might be brash, unpresidential. Maybe he shouldn’t tweet so much. But he’s the president, and some people respect him. Some people wouldn’t mind another term. Those same people, however, might fear the next president if the election goes the other way. One fragment of the nation might find relief in 2020. Another might become the loud, defiant voice of resistance.

 

If the whole impeachment thing strategically places a Democratic icon in the running, and if that person loses, civil unrest could reach the point of no restraint. If Trump loses, the other camp might suffer in silence. Or not. Time will tell.

 

No matter the outcome of the 2020 election, don’t label me as potusphobic. Whether things go my way or not, I will likely tarry a little longer in prayer for our president and our country because peace now seems short-lived. But potusphobia will not be in my dictionary. That’s okay, I don’t live by the dictionary.

 

I will acknowledge:

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.  Romans 13:1

 

I will pray:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. I Timothy 2:1-2

 

I will try, but I might need to be reminded:

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.  Titus 3:1-2

Three Ways to Avoid Becoming a Public Spectacle

(Or how to become one if that's what you want.)

In my last post, Three Ways to Maneuver a Cultural Shift, I wrote about how a Christian can stand fast in the post-Christian world. Encouraging words for the believer, but I sensed there was more to say about enduring the daily information overload. About being exposed to every wave of public opinion. It's easy to get pulled in, but avoidance is vital.

The Sunday following that post we recited a verse in church, and a particular phrase stood out. I’d never considered exactly what was meant in this passage by "public spectacle."

He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:13b-15

Later, I looked up the term. Simply put, it can mean any form of entertainment. In Roman times, a public spectacle was comprised of games, festivals, competitions and chariot races, as well as plays. They were also celebrations of military victories, funerals, and exhibitory fights to the death. The Collosians would have thought of a public spectacle as a conquered ruler paraded through the region for all to see.

In the modern world, we might consider a public spectacle to be someone who did something inappropriate or embarrassing, either by accident or intentionally. They may appear ignorant or rebellious, or wildly entertaining. They catch our eye with something we don’t necessarily want to see, but we can’t help but stare. Some people might feel pity, outrage, or disgust. But others will praise the audacity of the act. With the proliferation of social media, anyone can become a public spectacle with little effort.

Sometimes a public spectacle parades such indecency that even the unredeemed take offense. A comedian made a public spectacle of herself on July fourth by dressing up in patriotic garb and spouting offensive jokes in her “God bless abortion” celebration. Perhaps a few other pro-choice militants thought it was funny, but anyone with a sense of compassion must have found the event shockingly awkward. From either side of the argument, abortion is not funny, and it shouldn’t be “on the dollar menu at McDonald's” as that foul comic has proclaimed.

Regarding the verse in Colossians, like a public spectacle in ancient times, the minions of Satan, the fallen angels, and the powers of sin and death were disarmed for all the spiritual realm to see. A show of victory, a funeral for demonic rule, a fight to the death. But wasn’t Jesus the one who died? Perhaps the cheering throng of evil powers thought so for a moment in time, but the resurrection shut their mouths.

The powers and authorities still attempt to mock God and the work of the cross. They rouse acts of ignorance and rebellion among humankind. But to the discerning spirit they're nothing more than shameful. And God will one day shut their mouths, too.

So, how do you avoid becoming a public spectacle in this day and age?

1)    Don’t let foolish talk come out of your mouth.

Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. Ephesians 5:4

Yes, even Christians have a problem here. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have needed this instruction.

2)    Redirect your attention.

Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

Psalm 119:37

Sometimes we can’t help wanting all this life has to offer, even if it's not good for us. The world is seductive, but God is our strength. The psalmist asked God to guide his thoughts and desires. That should be our prayer.

3)    Be careful where your feet take you, where your friends lead you, and where your devotion keeps you.

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.

Psalm 1:1

This doesn’t mean isolate yourself from sinners, just don’t adopt their practices. If God is greater than all powers and authorities, then your influence on those around you should be greater than their influence on you.

But…if you want to make a public spectacle of yourself, and it seems some people have that ambition, then go ahead and talk like a fool. Lock your eyes on the empty allure of this world. And take your seat among those who mock the God of the Universe. Would He really be offended? We’ll find out soon enough.

Here We Go into the Dark and the Deep

Transhumanism may become the not-so-fictitious science reality of the future. As I put it on page one of Wake the Dead—the near future. Some of my readers are troubled by the deep, dark world of altered humanity. Others consider my rendering of a new world order the more frightening prospect. But the two society-shifting events—operative AI and revolutionary government— must be closely intertwined. At least, that’s how I wrote it.

I’m deep into writing another novel now. One set in current time. No transhumans. My research intent for this new story was to read a couple of books outside my comfort zone as a Christian—books by Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett—outspoken atheists who’ve written on the subject. But I wanted to write about a likeable atheist, one who would rouse empathy, and I wasn’t sure I could do that with too much information. Some may disagree with my decision to skip the research once they’ve read the new book, but I’m okay with that.

Now that my imagination is occupied by someone other than Chase Sterling, I'm not always as judicious about the shifts in technology and how they affect our lives. For instance, after hearing the term “dark web” at least a hundred times, I decided to look into it. Not literally—I still don’t know how to pull it up on my computer. But I do know that most people refer to the “dark web” when what they really mean is the “deep web.” I started to read a beginner’s guide to accessing the “dark web” but decided to save it for after the apocalypse.

Along with the web growing dark and deep is the state of the media growing deeply unclear. The “deep fake” has surpassed “fake news” with undeniable creations of real people saying real things. Only they didn’t actually say what they said. If we can't believe our own eyes and ears, then we can't believe anything reported by any source. And if we lose all faith in the media, what will be the outcome? Somebody will need to take charge. In my books, it’s the media and entertainment conglomerate called SynVue, which gains control over both politics and the reporting of politics. Prior to this widely accepted takeover, the Constitution loses all power, and the United States dies as the Western Republic is born. Fringe groups of dissenters form and Christians begin meeting underground. But it's a gradual process and most people adjust to their new existence. That is, until SynVue turns a celebrity into a transhuman and inadvertently creates its own worst enemy. Of course, it’s only a story, the plot of my trilogy.

But the truth waiting around the bend of our reality may be just as subtle, just a weird, and just as defeating. As a Christian still enjoying the freedoms of being an American, still attending packed worship services in a publicly designated facility, still getting this blog out there on the not-so-dark web, what am I supposed to do to prepare for the future? If I learned anything from Chase Sterling, it comes from this quote at the end of Transfusion: “We will not hide. Love is too strong and judgement too certain for us to remain a whisper of weakness.” (Yes, I realize I wrote those words, but a character worth writing becomes real to the writer. So in my mind, Chase said it.)

While I’ve got the chance to share the hope of the gospel, and even if I lose the privilege, I will not hide. It’s all I have to offer, now and in the future.

Articles of interest:

New Malicious AI Reports Biggest Threats of the Next 5 Years

https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/06/malicious-ai-report-outlines-biggest-threats-of-the-next-5-years/#sm.00000wi1f8c6pdcwzr4ami0awjg7p

Deep State Panics: America No Longer Believes Us!

https://www.infowars.com/deep-state-panics-america-no-longer-believes-us/

Alarming Advances Made In Digital Media Manipulation

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/03/05/digital-media-manipulation/