Sacrilegious

Sunday mornin' wake up early,
Skip church service to find my Jesus.
I know it sounds so sacrilegious,
But I just don't belong in a place like that.

These words are not just the opening salvo from a track titled "Sacrilegious" on Never Shout Never's new album.  They seem to be the cry of a generation of would-be Christians.

My pastor tweeted an interesting rhetorical question today: "What has happened to student ministries in young, progressive churches? My denom baptized 140k teens in 1972; last yr only 75k."

It's not a question that can only be posed to a Southern Baptist reader but anyone who is part of a church.  My generation is bailing out of the church like never before.  It's enough to make me wonder: What is the disconnect?  Are we just a particularly Satanic and evil generation bent on disappointing our parents and forever disturbing culture as we have previously known it?  Somehow, I doubt it.

I think the more interesting answer resides in the chorus.

I love the cause but not the act.

I love a good cause.  The tragedy being felt in Haiti involves devastation I can never hope to comprehend or explain.  But the healing that has begun through a series of text messages, tweets, benefit concerts, basketball games brings me so much hope for this world.  It is hard to go anywhere and not see on display the endless signs of generosity and solidarity with the Haitian people.  The darkest nights are often pierced by the purest light.  It has been a lament to see so many lose their lives.  It has been a joy to see so many saved.

We may never be the "Greatest Generation."  But we may be the "Good Generation."  Our generation is generous, thoughful, soulful, and hopeful.  (It doesn't hurt that we provide such a stark contrast to our ne'er do well, careless Gen X brethren.  Time to face it.  We're pretty much the world's last best hope and that brings out the best in us every time.)

So why don't we believe in the church?

One reason is that we love the cause but not the act.  The Christian act of having it all figured out.  We know how you ought to live, where you should work, what music and art you should enjoy.  And above all, we know how you should experience God.

For a group of people who believe the kind of foolishness that has men raising from the dead, we sure do have it all figured out.  One time in my life, I'd like to be a part of church where screwed up people feel like they belong.

'Cause Jesus was a friend and not a judge.
He loved the sinners as much as he loved the little ones.
That man was love and not an act.

So if the first reason we're lost is the way we do church.  The second is the way we treat Jesus.

You may notice that I don't spend all of my posts on this blog or any of my various social networks solely laying out today's bit of theology.  I used to try to get to know God like that.  But at some point in my life I realized I'm probably not going to find God in a book.  Sure, I'll find Him in some.  But I'll also find God in art and music and sunsets.  And where I'm most likely to find God is wherever I am.  Because He's been pursuing me for a long time.

Now that's not a knock on educated people.  I am one.  But you have to know that you don't have a monopoly on God.  Neither do the artists or the musicians or the scientists or the missionaries.  We all know God in our own way and that is a perfectly natural occurence.

I really like my dad.  And I could tell you stories all day about things he has taught me or advice he's given me or mistakes he's kept me from making.  I could tell you what he does for a living or what he really gets excited about or what he is hoping for in the future.  But until I actually introduce you to him, you're not going to know who he is.  And even after I introduce you to him, you're still not going to know him like I do. 

Because he's the guy that taught me how to swing a baseball bat and how to win an argument and how to know when it's not worth the fight and how to know when it is.

I think knowing Jesus works about the same way.  You probably know Jesus a little differently than I do.  Because you've been through different things together and you've had different conversations than we've had.  You're not going to be able to introduce me to him by exposing me to systematic theology or outlining Thomas Aquinas' view of the trinity.  I'm not going to know him until I meet Him for myself and I'm not going to learn anything about Him until we have some experiences together.  That man was love and not an act.

I'll be the first to admit that treating Jesus as a person and not an idea is pretty difficult and might even have some uncomfortable theological implications.  But if He really is a person, that's probably one of the most important aspects of his personality.  And we're definitely never going to know him until we start treating him like one.

Happy Holidays

I have an idea for a short story. The main conceit involves a faceless, unnamed Christmas shopper who gets into an argument with Jesus about what is more proper to say during the yuletide season, "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas." I can just imagine so many generic, sincere, and earnest Christians getting into an argument about their level of support for Christmas with the guy whose birth we are celebrating. I'm not saying that Jesus isn't interested in protecting the "true meaning" of his birthday and all. It just seems that Christ is a lot more tolerant of those who refuse to acknowledge him than those who claim to want to be like him. I know this mostly because of the influx of my Facebook friends who became a fan of "I say Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays" within the last three weeks. I am utterly convinced that joining that group is like unringing a bell. Every time you do, an angel loses his wings.

I didn't write that short story, though. Mostly because I wrote this essay instead and kind of stole my own thunder if that is something you can possibly do. (Maybe I will write it later and this essay will become a really cool prequel-type commentary on what I was trying to express.) Really, I decided to write an essay because I am better at that and the last time I wrote a short story I'm pretty sure I was in fifth grade and the main characters were a dog and a cat who talked and spoke English but couldn't spell all that well.

Chuck Klosterman concludes his book Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs with a discussion of the born-again worldview, a subject he feels educated enough to discuss based mostly on a recent reading of the Left Behind series.

There is no sophisticated reason for believing in anything supernatural, so it really comes down to believing you're right.  This is another example of how born agains are cool--you'd think they'd be humble, but they've got to be amazingly cocksure.  And once you've crossed over, you don't even have to try to be nice; according to the born again exemplar, your goodness will be a natural extension of your salvation.

This is ultimately what causes Klosterman to reject Christianity out of hand.  He can't believe that such a thing is possible.  That doing good would just be a natural outpouring of conversion.  Of course, no one believes this.  Not even Christians.  Otherwise, we wouldn't be constantly consciously trying to do so many "good" things.

I'm a sucker for a good cause.  Like. Honestly. Can't. Say. No.

Salvation Army guy at the front door of Walmart.  Hit you up on the way in and on the way out.  Dig wells in the bush?  Sure, I'll text SAVE to 56789 and give you $5.  I mean, how can I not?  I just spent $15 on iTunes because I was bored.  Am I really going to deny AIDS medication to destitute children in sub-Saharan Africa so I can download obscure EPs from Never Shout Never?  Buy books for kids who need to learn to read at the checkout at Barnes & Noble?  How could I live with myself if these kids didn't get to hear the same stories about big red dogs that I did (or their 2009 equivalents)?

Why am I this way?  Well, guilt mostly.  I still haven't figured out if this makes me a really good Christian or a really bad one.  Probably both ,but the point is that I am infected with the same virus as everyone else that causes a crying out from deep within my soul saying, "DO SOMETHING!"

While I am sure it is oversimplification, most of the infirmities of the human condition originate from two core diseases most economically labeled as rebellion and religion.  A quick definition of rebellion would be trying to do the wrong thing and a quick definition of religion would be trying to the right thing.  If the rebellion that has forever separated us from God is solved at the foot of the cross, then our problems with religion are solved in a manger.

Almost none of the Christians I know understand the "true meaning" of Christmas.  The reason for this is because instead of doing our job and just waiting on Jesus to be born, we are constantly trying to do stuff.  It is amazing how easy it is to be tempted to do the wrong thing when doing the right thing isn't leading to our preferred results.  H.L. Mencken put it this way, "Every normal man is tempted at some point to spit on his hands, raise the black flag, and begin slitting throats."  That is no way to live a life of patience, humility, and serenity.  Nor do I expect to soon read that quote scribbled into the bottom of a Christmas card under a colorful picture of a crèche.  Yet instead of pausing to reflect on the promised birth of Christ, we spend Christmas trying to get all militant and enforcing our spiritual beliefs on others.  We make our family and friends endure our awkward, is-everyone-down-with-this prayers and represent our piety by boycotting stores who would dare to say "Happy Holidays!" no matter how jovially.  We capitalize the "Christ" in "CHRISTmas" because that's what you do if you are truly holy and near to the promised infant. 

It's going to be pretty hard to get the Christ out of Christmas as long as we maintain the name and keep celebrating it on the date widely associated with his birth.  We make the commercialization of Christmas a tale of blasphemy and while surely a shameful development, commercialism is a poor adversary for the King of Kings.  Commercialism is a pretty powerful force in the modern world but it is still pretty hard to compete with virgin births and supernatural celestial events.  We've anointed Jared commercials as an enemy not because they are endlessly annoying (seriously, how is it possible to make even the expression of love so repugnant?) but because religion requires an enemy.

Wakey! Wakey! demonstrates religion's need to justify itself in the song "War Sweater."

Battle lines drawn if you wonder which side speaks the truth
then look closely to which speaks from pride
I love you. I swear it. I would never lie...
But I fear for our lives and I fear your closed eyes...

You wear your religion like a War Sweater.
You ask for the truth, but you know you could do so much better,
and you sat on your fences, you've screamed no retreat...
So now what will your legacy be?

Here we are at the dawn of advent awaiting the promised Prince of Peace and somehow we have made Christmas about declaring a petty American culture war.  We know the Christ child as the Lamb of God, comparatively docile among the types of farm animals, so what makes us so eager to take up arms?  If anyone is guilty of taking Christ out of Christmas, it is American Christians who would rather insert an angrier version of Jesus ready to win the culture on behalf of reformed theologians and then run for President.  It is staggering how much our version of what Jesus would do if he were here today differs from the life he actually lived while on the earth.  How did we get here to this place?

In the whole story of the birth of Christ, the only person who seems to truly understand the significance of the event is the mother, Mary.  Upon being visited by an angel, which had to be a pretty mystifying experience in itself, and then being told all manners of craziness mostly surrounding the fact that she would give birth though a virgin she simply responds, "I am the Lord's servant.  May it be to me as you have said."  Mary, of course, is also the one who will be jeopardizing her relationship, be mocked by society, and shunned by her family when she tries to repeat this ridiculous virgin birth nonsense to others.  Yet, she is the picture of serenity and patience.  That kind of faith helps you understand why some people venerate Mary to such a degree. 

The difference between waiting and acting is the difference between love and romance.  Love is quiet, patient, almost passive.  There might not be a greater beauty on earth than a still silence shared between lovers who desire nothing more than to be together.  Romance may have all the bells and whistles but the most hopeless of romantics only dreams to ultimately share those quiet moments.  If we could only learn to wait on the birth of Jesus, we might also learn to value the waiting moments as the sweetest time we would ever spend with God.

ultimate christmas mix vol. 5

Track 1

The Christmas Song - Owl City

Track 2

Winter Wonderland - hello goodbye

Track 3

Rocking Around The Christmas Tree - Cartel

Track 4

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Coldplay

Track 5

The Christmas Song - Gavin DeGraw

Track 6

Blue Christmas - Bright Eyes

Track 7

White Christmas (Live) - Keane

Track 8

Baby Please Come Home - Anberlin

Track 9

Little Drummer Boy - The Almost

Track 10



Track 11

Carol Of The Bells - Mae

Track 12

All I Want For Christmas Is You - My Chemical Romance

Track 13



Track 14

The Only Gift That I Need - Dashboard Confessional

Track 15

30 days - nevershoutnever

Track 16

Winter Passing (Single Version) - The Academy Is...

Track 17



Track 18

all i want for christmas is us - Tristan Prettyman Jason Mraz

Track 19



Track 20

Winter Song - Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson

Track 21



So now that you love this album, let me know in the comments that you want a copy and we'll work something out. There is only one rule to the Christmas mix. If anyone asks for it, you must give them a copy. Christmas is to be shared.