Caught in the Act. Calling out Hypocrisy

He was a new patient who had been referred to me by his girlfriend. As we introduced ourselves we talked briefly about their relationship and how long they had been together. He told me they were serious and had been living together for a while. As we spoke the conversation turned to her recent diagnosis of a severely abnormal PAP smear. I asked if she was worried or stressed out by the news.

“Not at all!” he replied, “When she came home and told me I laid hands on her and we prayed for healing, so we know everything will be all right.”

Remarkably he did not catch the irony in his words. Unremarkably, I did and pointed it out with a question. “May I ask you something?” I asked. He nodded affirmatively. “How is it that your faith is strong enough to cause you to pray for her healing  but not strong enough to keep you out of her pants?”

He did not respond immediately and I thought he might be angry. He paused for a moment and said, “You got me doc. I don’t have an answer.” I told him that it was interesting to me that without knowing of my faith (I had made no mention of it up to this point) he had so openly declared to me both his strong faith and his decision to reject one of its central moral teachings. “Something to consider,” I said and moved on to his reason for coming in.

I wish I could say that stories like this are rare but they are not. I frequently encounter individuals who speak openly about what they believe yet are equally open about behaviors and actions that are contrary to their faith. In these circumstances it is not the moral failings that surprise me, for all of us struggle every day. It is the lack of shame and remorse about their sin that is disturbing. Somehow the Biblical teaching about sin and its consequences has been overlooked or ignored. How does this happen?

I wonder if it might be the result of churches focusing on attendance numbers as a sign of God’s favor and blessing. When numbers become the focus there is a danger of altering the message to improve its appeal. Change is hard and repentance is an uncomfortable concept so sin is de-emphasized and acceptance becomes the message. “God loves you just as you are!” is proclaimed but the rest of the truth, that because we are broken sinners God desires to transform us, is downplayed if it is taught at all.

While many Christians may not be aware of this weak commitment to the whole Gospel, the contradiction it represents is readily apparent to those outside the church. When we emphasize the sin of those who do not share our faith and neglect our own sin we come across as hypocritical, shallow and unbelieving.

The solution to this problem is simple. Churches and pastors need to return to the teaching of the whole Gospel, the Good News that we are saved from our sin that we may sin no longer, that we are no longer slaves to our desires but freed to live as Children of God. When confronted with the truth about our sins and failings we need to address them and change. The turning away from sin is a powerful testimony.

The patient in the story did just that. When he returned for a follow up visit just a few months away he had a ring on his hand and a smile on his face! He was a hypocrite no more!

-          Bart

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Being Popular Can be Bad for You

I was not popular in high school. I was well known (identical twins usually are, twice the exposure at half the price) but I was not popular. I lost more elections than Mitt Romney including for sophomore class president, Student Body leadership and the ultimate defeat, president of the Chess Club. I was a dweeb.

It is one thing to pursue popularity as an adolescent, it is another thing altogether to pursue it as an adult. It seems that for some adults the need to be popular increases with age. If there is anything reality TV teaches us is that people will go to ridiculous lengths to be a celebrity. Ordinary life just isn’t good enough. Everybody wants to be a star and nobody wants to admit that achieving stardom is not dependent on how badly one wants it.

It seems fame is incredibly addictive, as even in small amounts it leads to people wasting their lives trying to gain it again. Almost every high school reunion includes once popular people incapable of dealing with the reality that no one cares anymore. There are a number of reality shows such as “The Apprentice” and “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here” that provide fading stars with one last chance to shine and there seems to be no shortage of formerly famous people willing to participate.

Watching these shows leads me to ponder how much these people have lost in their pursuit of fame. Multiple marriages and rehab stints seem to be a common theme. True happiness, contentment and meaningful relationships are rare. It seems that the price of fame is tragically high.

I flirted with fame a few months ago. My blog post on measles spread around the world. It reached over 5 million readers and was published in a Norwegian newspaper. Over 3000 people subscribed to the blog and comments flooded my inbox. It was pretty heady stuff. It didn’t last. My follow up post reached 30,000 views and subsequent posts were seen by fewer and fewer people. I found myself wondering what I could write about that would catch fire, what it was that people wanted to read, how I could reach that summit again.

Then I gave up. I realized that if I focused on what people wanted to hear I would lose something in the process. There is much about which I am passionate that is not popular. My Christian worldview is not universally embraced and is even offensive to some. Popularity might require that I constrain myself and not share my heart. I realized that success wasn’t worth it. I returned to writing what was on my heart. The number of subscribers has dwindled but I am okay with that. I have learned the lesson of high school, that being popular isn't what it is cracked up to be.

What leads to popularity and success in high school does not often translate to success in the next life. While I was easily discounted back in the day the life I have today is truly remarkable. I have a successful marriage, wonderful children, a strong faith and a rewarding career. My life after high school is so blessed as to make any of the lost recognition irrelevant.

I think this is true in the eternal sense as well. Success and praise in this life is often not compatible with success in the next one. People who pursue fame and adulation here on earth may be sacrificing what matters in the next. The ultimate winners are those who grasp this truth and live with eternity in mind. The adulation of millions means nothing compared to the joy that awaits those who have gained the favor of God.

-          Bart

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God Talks Like Willy Wonka

Some people say God speaks to them. I do not doubt that He is able to speak to people in an audible fashion but I am not sure that He speaks to me in this way. If He does I do not hear very well. On the few occasions when I thought I was certain He was speaking things did not work out very well. As a result my confidence in my spiritual hearing is pretty low. Over time I have reached the conclusion that I may be listening for the wrong kind of voice.

While I do not hear God speaking directly to me, especially in an audible sense, that does not mean that I do not believe that God is silent or that I think He does not communicate with His people. His Spirit can speak to us through Scripture or by moving other people to share their thoughts with us. He can also speak quite powerfully to us through our conscience. When God does speak through our conscience He speaks a lot like Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder version, not Johnny Depp).

In the movie Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory a handful of children won the opportunity to tour Wonka’s chocolate factory. At the beginning of the tour the children were instructed on how to behave during the tour. As the children were selfish and bratty they each violated the rules rather quickly. Each time one of the children started to do something forbidden, Willy Wonka spoke and warned them.

Willy’s warnings were never yelled, never hollered. He did not run over to the children to restrain them. He remained where he was and quietly said, “No. Stop.” He voice was audible and recognizable, but it was also easily ignored and overlooked by those who were not inclined to listen. The children didn't listen and soon experienced the consequences of their disobedience.

I have found this to be true of the way God communicates to me through by conscience via the Holy Spirit. When I begin to do something wrong there is often a quiet “voice”, a thought in my head, that gently urges me to stop. When I am dead set in my ways and bad intentions the voice is easily ignored, yet if I train myself to listen for it, to look for it before I act, the warnings can be heard. God loves me enough to warn me, to move me and motivate me through gentle urgings such as these but like Willy Wonka He does not yell, and does not force me to obey.

If I am to stay out of trouble, I need to train myself to listen.

- Bart

Rescued From A Temporary Hell

The world is filled with suffering people. Millions are hurting yet most of us are immune to the day to day struggles of the poor, the destitute, the abused and the neglected. We go about our lives comfortable and secure with hardly a thought about our responsibility to serve others. The question arises, what should we do?

Social Justice has become a big deal in the church. Hardly a week goes by when I do not read or hear someone saying how important it is for Christians to be making a difference in local communities. Out of this philosophy a multitude of service ministries have arisen my local area. Medical clinics for the uninsured, food banks, homeless shelters, homework and tutoring centers, marriage counseling services and even free legal services are available to community members free of charge. The church has made a profound commitment to improving the life circumstances of others.

Service ministry has become, for many churches, the primary goal, the standard by which true Christianity is measured. Timothy Keller, in his book Generous Justice, wrote that when we understand what Christ has done for us, “The result is a life poured out in deeds of justice and compassion for the poor.”

The result of this new found emphasis on social justice has been the explosion of ministries like the ones described above. More than that, it has led many churches to get involved in the perceived structural problems in society that have allowed injustice to develop. Keller writes that a biblical perspective could lead Christians to be involved in such things as pressuring police departments to “respond to calls as quickly in the poor part of town as in the prosperous part” and to form organizations that prosecute “loan companies that prey on the poor and the elderly with dishonest and exploitive practices.” He further suggests Christians work to improve struggling schools and to give generously to the poor, going so far to suggest that if you do not “actively and generously share your resources with the poor, you are a robber.”

As I read through the words of social justice advocates I find myself asking, “Is this the message we are called to preach? Is the problem with Christians that we don’t do enough for the poor and needy in our communities? Is it that we need to be more involved politically to change the circumstances in which the weak in our society find themselves?"

As I consider questions such as these I am struck by the realization that the social justice emphasis is a safe road for the church to travel. It is politically correct and inoffensive. No one attacks the church when its focus is on the external condition of suffering people, no one argues when we address temporal suffering. But is this truly the mission of the church?

A few years ago I met with the US director of a social justice ministry in the Philippines. His church had the wonderful idea to build and maintain a safe house for women who were rescued from sexual slavery. Young women who had been stolen from their families and subjected to horrific abuse were given a place of comfort and refuge, a place where they could be comforted and restored as they transitioned to the possibility of a normal life. Such ministries have a special place in my heart and the meeting was an opportunity for me to learn more about their work and determine if it was something Lisa and I could support financially.

The man shared about their work, how the women were rescued, how the house was staffed and how over 95% of the money raised went into the ministry. As the meeting neared its close I asked him, “How does your program ensure that every woman brought to your home clearly hears the gospel message?”

He seemed surprised by my question. “I am sure that they hear the gospel,” was his reply. I pressed on, “Do you have a policy of how they will be intentionally taught what it means to be a Christian?” They did not.

I then told him my greatest concern. “We do these women no favor if we rescue them from a temporary hell and not the eternal one.”

And this is my fear for the church. It is socially acceptable to address temporary hells but that can never be why we do what we do. We need to proclaim the good news that delivers us from eternal suffering and that brings us into lasting relationship with the Living God. We must emphasize the next life more than the present one.

The problem with the eternal message is it is not socially acceptable. The Christian message is not that God wants to fix your outer poverty, it is that God wants to fix the destitution of your soul. If we address only the visible suffering, we are not fulfilling our purpose nor truly serving the world. It is my hope and prayer that the eternal message of the gospel returns to its central place in our preaching and practice. We need to continue to serve the poor and needy in this life but we serve them best when while doing so we lift their eyes toward heaven to the one who delivers us from ultimate suffering.

-          Bart

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One Man's Nightmare, Another Man's dream

He was worried. He had been a well paid executive manager for years and had climbed the corporate ladder to a salary of $300,000 a year. His outlook had been positive and his future secure. Then the market crash came. Now he was out of a job and watching his savings rapidly disappear. He was stressed and worried and his blood pressure was way too high.

We talked about life, financial security and what the future might hold. He was in the midst of a job search but had no solid leads. He expressed concern that he might lose his home if he did not find a suitable job but then talked about his faith and how he was trusting God to help him through the difficult times.

“But what if He doesn’t?” I asked. He was surprised by my question. I explained that while I often hear people talk about trusting God for material blessing and support through difficult times I wasn’t sure that He had promised the level of support people hoped for. Here in America when we think about our "needs" we think of keeping our houses and having a good paying job. In poorer parts of the world people pray for the true necessities of life such as a meal and safety. I shared that what we would consider terrible would be anything but for most people on the planet.

“What is the worst thing that could happen to you?" I asked, "Losing your house and winding up living in a one bedroom apartment in Santa Ana flipping burgers for a living? There are people dodging Border Patrol agents and coyotes for an opportunity like that!” I shared that a one bedroom apartment in Santa Ana would be an answer to prayer for many people in the world.

He paused for a moment, “You’re right,” was his simple reply. As we talked I reminded him that none of the difficulties he currently faced threatened any of the things that mattered most in his life such as his faith or his relationships with his family.

I think about our conversation often, usually when I hear someone's prayer request. It causes me to reflect on what really matters in my life and reminds me not to cling too tightly to my “stuff.” I remember that Lisa and I aren’t really any happier now than we were when we were living in an apartment and barely making ends meet. Back then we found joy in trips to the laundry and cooking meals together. We lived paycheck to paycheck and scrounged up loose change for trips to McDonalds, but we were happy. Even now we realize that our best times are our best times because of who we are with and not because of what we have. True joy comes from our family and not our possessions.

I am also reminded of the danger of putting too much emphasis on what happens in this life. When all is said and done and I am called to give account for my life my financial achievements will not matter at all but the love I gave and the sacrifices I made for others will. Like all men I well be measure by the content of my heart and not the contents of my bank account.

-          Bart