I am a liberal!

I've been called a liberal.

I've been called a conservative.

I guess they are relative terms. It depends on your context. In other words, whatever stance that the majority holds is the moderate view and any other view is defined in correlation to the majority.

Christians have began to define things that way. We haphazardly define according to the majority's consensus.

On my fifth grade teachers wall there was a poster that said: "What is popular is not always right and what is right is not always popular."

So how do we, as Christians, traverse the ever changing landscape? With the Word of an unchanging God! That is our absolute standard. (Yes, you can attack me for using the word absolute.)

So whatever label I might receive, I'm not going to worry about it! I am a Christian and that's all that matters.

But please, whatever you do, just don't call me a post-modern!

Disturbing Trends in the Holiness Movement...

1) Conversion without confession.

2) Regeneration without repentance.

3) Sanctification without surrender.

4) Heaven without holiness.

The Holiness Manifesto!

I know, I know... I'm slow on the draw with this one. I'm nearly two years behind on this point and will probably fail to offer up a fresh opinion, but I must charge in.

You can read the Holiness Manifesto on the Christianity Today website. It just seems really pointless to me. (Not to mention the fact that it took them THREE YEARS to come up with all this.) I mean there is nothing distinctly "holiness" about it. Any reasonable Christian would heartily agree with any of the statements in it whether from the holiness tradition or not. (Maybe that's the point: It's more a call to the lowest common denominator.)

And why do we always have to bash those who have gone before us? I don't think they failed in ministry so much as equipping their children with an appreciation for who they are as part of the holiness movement. I think maybe it's easier to sit around and critique and complain about our forefathers than it would be to get out and do something constructive for the Kingdom of God!

In short, I believe the holiness movement has become another part of the very generic category of 'evangelicals.' Don't get me wrong I agree with the 'biblical vision of Christian mission,' but any church would probably tell you they do these things. We have made a move toward the generic as is often the case with virtually any denomination. But why can we not celebrate our differences from evangelicals at large?

Certainly I am not suggesting that we de-Christianize the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc., but I do think we should return to our message of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with new zeal!

Holiness Manifesto's 'biblical vision of Christian mission':
1. Preach the transforming message of holiness;
2. Teach the principles of Christ-like love and forgiveness;
3. Embody lives that reflect Jesus Christ;
4. Lead in engaging with the cultures of the world; and
5. Partner with others to multiply its effect for the reconciliation of all things.

Sounds generic to me!

What would be helpful would be addressing what kind of transforming holiness we are to preach! How/when does it occur? What does a holiness life look like? What are the fruits of this kind of life? Is it instantaneous or progressive? ...etc...

What are the principles of Christ-like love and forgiveness? Social justice? Personal piety? Repentance? Truth?

What kind of life reflects Jesus? ...Mega churches? Sleeping outdoors? BMW's? Ties or collars?

I guess I'm running in circles because the reality is that those working on the Holiness Manifesto probably wanted to leave it wide open for folks. And that would be a lowering of the bar. Problem is majority does not always accompany truth. The more the merrier some "holiness leaders" would say.

But what if we stopped doing the most popular thing and just became old-fashioned, legalistic, anti-tobacco, anti-Roman Catholic (they pray to and worship/venerate humans), anti-alcohol, anti-movies, anti-dancing holiness people that didn't really care what the Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Methodists thought about us. We just cared about lost people being born-again and seeking the Baptism of the Holy Spirit so that they might live a holy life that didn't flirt with the "gray" area!

I think holiness has a bright future especially as it acts rather than reacts to church culture fads!

Yes, I like Huckabee...

Mike Huckabee. I just like him! I do. I mean, what's not to like? Here are some reasons I like him!

1) He is a Christian.

2) He is a Christian. (Repetition for emphasis.) You might say all the presidential candidates are Christians, but you'd be wrong... they all claim they are Christians. (BIG difference!)

3) He will stand for Christian values even if unpopular!

4) He deals with issues across the board in a consistent way! From the environment (he says we are to be good stewards of the earth) to abortion (he opposes a woman's, or man's, right to kill).

5) He's witty. Of course I really only like this about him, because I already liked him for the previous four reasons. In other words, you won't get my vote just because you're witty.

6) He's an underdog and doesn't care! (See comments on number five, because Dennis Kucinich is an underdog too.)

7) He said: "My faith is my life - it defines me. My faith doesn’t influence my decisions, it drives them. For example, when it comes to the environment, I believe in being a good steward of the earth. I don’t separate my faith from my personal and professional lives."

8) He was (and still is) a Baptist preacher from Arkansas. I like Baptists; they're going to heaven (Mormons aren't).

I think I'm going to vote for him!

Christians, Politics, & Big Headaches...

God isn't a Democrat. God isn't a Republican. And he isn't even an Independent!

Now that I got that out of the way...

It's a relatively new debate within the church: Should Christians be involved in the political process? Unfortunately, I believe, that question should be one labeled as rhetorical.

The emphasis in pop-Christianity (by the way, I use Christianity loosely in certain contexts) seems to be on influencing our world through liberating the oppressed, ending poverty, and comforting the down-trodden. Social concerns.

I'm not going here in this post, but have we forgotten that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost? Spiritual concerns. (No, I'm not arguing against social concerns, on the contrary I will be a proponent.)

It seems like a lot of Christians today would rather critique the problems of our fallen world (there is a place for that) rather than do anything about it. My suggestion: Stop whining about the divorce rate and help to build strong marriages (beginning with our own)! Stop complaining about racism and help live out biblical love. Stop lamenting all the lies going around and be a person of truth!

The push to abandon the "political process" is not only politically irresponsible, but it is socially, morally, intellectually, and spiritually irresponsible! Through the political process we are able to influence our world in a positive way. We can influence it socially, morally, and even spiritually! How can a Christian argue against that!?

Did Jesus run for office? No, but that wasn't his specific task! His mission was to provide for our salvation! His life was all about happened on Easter!

Are you called to run for president? Probably not, but I do believe that Christians are called not only to run for office, but to be a part of the political process. It is in the belief of non-involvement towards politics that we seek to divorce our responsibility with what occurs in our world.

When light refuses to shine, darkness always prevails.