Articles by Rubel Shelly at Heartlight

The 'Christian' Vote?

rshelly@rc.edu (Rubel Shelly) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0600

What we have come to call the church-state issue is highly complex. On the one hand, Peter could affirm the authority of the Roman government, declare the emperor “supreme” among earthly rulers, and urge Christians to be good citizens (1 Peter 2:13-15); on the other hand, the emperor when he gave that counsel was none other than the villainous Nero, who eventually had Peter put to death.

So what does the biblical data say? Is government a good and necessary thing? Ordained of God and to be respected? Or is it an obstacle to the Kingdom of God that persecutes prophets? Perpetuates violence and masks injustice?

Here is the certified and unambiguous answer of Scripture: Yes.

Human government – whether tribal or national, democracy or monarchy, freely elected or installed by military force – is capable of both great good and terrible evil. It is the same with every institution populated by human beings.

For the moment, let us grant Paul’s teaching that both family and government are God-ordained. Do you believe some ways of doing family are more ethical and healthier for its members than others? Do you know of some families where a spouse has murdered his or her mate? Or where parents abused children? So family and government share at least this much: Though ordained by God in Holy Scripture, both are capable of either enormous good or monumental evil.

As people of goodwill who care about their neighbors, Christians should be concerned about both these social institutions. We should affirm the value of healthy families, promote marital stability, and support the protection and nurture of children. We should also pay our taxes to help finance the state, encourage integrity in government, and otherwise show ourselves to be good citizens.

But I resent the wrong-headed and manipulative use either of state by church or of church by state. The state should not, for example, require synagogues, mosques, or churches to affirm policies and actions that violate their established tenets of faith. Neither should churches, synagogues, or mosques try to impose their doctrinal beliefs or distinctive behavior codes on the broader citizenry.

Thus I understand why non-religious people are already bristling in the unfolding nomination-and-election cycle. CNN polls “born-again Christians” for their voting patterns, and the Wall Street Journal writes of the “crucial evangelical vote” within the American electorate.

Christians are not monolithic in their political views. Persons – whether clergy or candidates – who position themselves for power by exploiting religion do no favor for either church or state. They use Scripture for leverage and unethically hammer an ethical issue for selective voter appeal. (Sexual promiscuity and concern for the poor are both prominent in the Bible, but the former tends to be a defining issue on the right and the latter on the left. Isn’t that being “selective”?)

Read, think, support, and vote your convictions. Just don’t get suckered into equating the Kingdom of God with party or confusing Messiah with candidate.

Rubel Shelly preached for the Woodmont Hills Churchin Nashville for thirty years. He is the author of more than 20 books. He has accepted the position of President of Rochester College. For more details, click here or here to email.

Website: RubelShelly.com

Tim Tebow Can't Win!?

rshelly@rc.edu (Rubel Shelly) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0600

To borrow a sports metaphor, poor Tim Tebow just can't win.

I'm not talking about football games, mind you. Tebow had a great winning career at the University of Florida. Against the cynics who said he couldn't make the grade as a pro, he led the Denver Broncos to some highly improbable wins this year -- including that remarkable game-winning pass that beat the Steelers in overtime in a playoff game. Quickest OT win in NFL history. Only 11 seconds.

It's in his polarizing public image that Tebow can't seem to get a break. On the one hand, does anybody really think God cares who wins a football game? On the other, would there be protests against a person of a faith group other than conservative Christians showing a public sign of his religious faith?

From within Christian ranks, some point to Jesus' words about letting people "see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16); again, though, who thinks he was talking about a touchdown pass? Others point to Jesus' words later in the same sermon that his followers should "beware of practicing your piety before others to be seen by them" (Matthew 6:1); there, in fact, he was specifically talking about making donations and saying public prayers.

Then there's Bill Maher's now-notorious crudity about Jesus and Tebow in celebration of the Broncos being beaten. Others make fun of his virginity. Maybe the story will be told in a "Chariots of Fire" type movie a quarter century from now and Tebow will be as heroic as Harold Abrahams (Jew) and Eric Liddell (Christian) are in their cinematic personas. Or, perhaps they were as vilified in their own time for their Jewishness and Christianity as Tebow is being scoffed at now.

So what's a religious athlete to do? Why can't Tim Tebow seem to win here? Will he eventually get the same respect Sandy Koufax did for not pitching on the Sabbath or Reggie White for intimidating other teams' offensive lines on Sunday? Koufax was an observant Jew, and White was an ordained Christian minister.

Let Tim Tebow play football. While some athletes play the strutting-peacock role, notch their beds with willing partners whose names they won't remember in 30 days (or minutes), and make headlines for violating league policies on banned substances, let him live the conservative values his missionary parents taught him as a home-schooled Baptist child.

Please don't encourage Tebow to prove he is a peer to his pro colleagues by taunting him to violate his convictions or act more like a thug. If his religiosity seems a bit over the top and immature at times, make the same excuse for him as for the defensive back lined up against him who has fathered three children by three different women. He's trying to find his way in a confusing environment -- although doesn't his goal seem a lot more wholesome and uplifting?

This season is over for Tebow after being dominated by Tom Brady and the Patriots. Did God decide the outcome of that game? I suspect a seasoned pro quarterback with a superior supporting cast dictated the score. Not divine whim.

Time will tell if Tebow is a franchise player and a godly man. I don't have a clue about the former, but I am optimistic about (and praying for) the latter.

It sure seems that Paul's words to Timothy, his son in the faith, are just as appropriate for all of us today as they were when he first wrote them:

You've been a good apprentice to me, a part of my teaching, my manner of life, direction, faith, steadiness, love, patience, troubles, sufferings—suffering along with me in all the grief I had to put up with in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. And you also well know that God rescued me! Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there's no getting around it. Unscrupulous con men will continue to exploit the faith. They're as deceived as the people they lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can only get worse.

But don't let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers -- why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother's milk! There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another -- showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us (2 Timothy 3:10-17 NLT).

Website: RubelShelly.com

Be it Resolved!

rshelly@rc.edu (Rubel Shelly) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0600

What are your feelings about New Year's Resolutions? For that matter, what is your feeling about the concept of a "New Year"? The New Year celebration was, after all, celebrated at the vernal equinox (March 20 in 2012) until the Middle Ages. That actually makes some sense to me, since the vernal equinox is the first day of spring! Ah, but history isn't the point here.

The point is resolutions. Do you make resolutions for whatever you mark as New Year's Day? Have they been so vexing for you in the past that you have given up on them? Life occasionally requires resolutions -- nothing more nor less than a plan to change something -- to accommodate our proneness to err!

Even if not as change but as renewed promises, what about these for 2012?

RESOLVED that God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will be the primary objects of my love and devotion in this New Year.

RESOLVED that my fellow human beings will be treated with respect, dignity, and justice in all situations of my personal and professional life.

RESOLVED that love -- understood as unselfish care for others –- will become the hallmark of my life and all its relationships.

RESOLVED that Holy Scripture will have a regular place in my life for the sake of grasping the nature of God and understanding his heart and will for humanity.

RESOLVED that my faith will be informed and guided by Holy Scripture above my own inclinations, desires, or tendency at self-justification.

RESOLVED that 2012 will be a year of adventure in which I seek out new friends, learn new skills, and contribute to new causes that are worthwhile.

RESOLVED that I will exhibit sensitivity to the needs and desires of people around me so that their lives can be better and happier because of my presence.

RESOLVED that hope built on the faithful promises of God will dominate any tendency I have to carry pessimism and gloom into the lives of others.

RESOLVED that the Kingdom of God will be a practical concept for me in 2012 and that I will try to nudge the world back toward Eden for heaven's sake.

RESOLVED that righteousness will be my daily passionate pursuit as I try to speak, act, and relate in ways that consciously imitate Jesus Christ.

RESOLVED that joy will accompany me and flow through me to people who live in a world that too often seems to revel in negatives and foster melancholy.

RESOLVED that a lifestyle of peace will replace the frenetic worry and hectic pace that only frustrates me and tends to annoy others.

In January, March, or September, these declarations of intent carried through would make a difference that would make all the difference.

Create in me a pure heart,a O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).

Website: RubelShelly.com

Let Christmas Deny the World?

rshelly@rc.edu (Rubel Shelly) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0600

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26 NIV).

There is a wonderful line from the American scholar Stephen L. Carter that is appropriate to the Christmas season: "Religion is, at its heart, a way of denying the rest of the world." He is surely, astutely, and gloriously correct.

Faith's view of this world is strangely skeptical. No, more than that. It is a posture of unequivocal distrust leading to rejection! When the world recites its mantras -- you matter only if you are beautiful, the most important thing is money, winning is everything, Look Out for Number One -- faith protests them all. It adopts a posture of doubt and incredulity. It lives in skepticism and disbelief.

I refuse to believe that selfishness is acceptable or that it is permissible to resent another's good fortune. I will not swallow the world's way of thinking in order to justify prejudice, aggression, and hatred. No believer can be anything but incredulous about the claim of this world that she is entitled to anything she can get her hands on or that he should feel no guilt in exploiting others.

So distrust the alleged certainties of sense that cancel the mysteries of faith. Dispute the tendency of the masses to look forward only for the sake of declaring the impossibility of living with hope. Deny altogether the inevitability of such greed, hatred, and violence that we cannot prove the reality of love.

The Bible warns against being blinded by this world and speaks of the danger of the blind leading the blind. That warning puts us on notice that things, people, and ways of thinking totally rooted in the finite world of time, space, and matter will keep us from discovering, experiencing, and delighting in the greater realities of God, spirit, and eternity that can only be known by faith.

Faith isn't self-deception. It is neither wish projection nor wishful thinking. It is our willingness to hear and stand with the things God has shown us through events and people as awe-inspiring as a trembling, smoking mountain in the desert and as modest as a baby's first cry in the village of Bethlehem.

So let Christmas deny the hold of this world on your heart. Let it open your eyes to what the willfully blind will never see, your ears to things the incorrigibly deaf can never hear. See Immanuel -- and know God is with us. Hear the song of angels -- and receive God's peace given to anxious hearts. Hold the confusion, cynicism, and antagonisms of this troubled world suspect -- and choose God's reign as your way of affirming the true realities.

Merry Christmas to all!

Website: RubelShelly.com

Yes, Virginia There Really Is ...

rshelly@rc.edu (Rubel Shelly) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0600

Dear Virginia,

There are many things you are discovering as you grow up. One of them has to do with all the fantasies we adults have invented for your entertainment. Bugs Bunny is on TV every Saturday morning. The Easter Bunny brings chocolate eggs in colored foil in the spring. Frosty the Snowman comes to life and plays with children. And Santa Claus comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve to bring you presents.

We mean no harm with our tales and make-believe world. Sometimes, though, we may go overboard and try to convince you they are more than imaginary. We blur the line for you between “real” and “pretend.” Talking bunnies, snowmen coming to life, Santa coming down the chimney — these are fun characters for your pleasure. But they are not the same as your Mommy, Uncle Bill, or me.

What bothers me right now, Virginia, is the thought that what most of us call “The Christmas Story” might get caught up in your mind with all the other make-believe things you are coming to recognize as only pretend. I would hate for you to push Baby Jesus out of your world along with Elmo and Frosty or the Easter Bunny and Santa. The story of Jesus is very different. It is the true story of how much God loves you.

We don’t know the exact date of his birth. December 25 was chosen centuries ago when some Christians wanted to turn a festival to the sun into a holy day for Jesus. It’s as good as any other day we might choose, and I find it hard to think Jesus would be upset with anyone for honoring his birth on any day of the year.

It happened almost 2,000 years ago now. In a little town called Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary heard the first cries of a tiny baby. He was more than “precious” or “special.” He was the Son of God. Angels and shepherds worshiped him that night. Eventually people like Anna, Simeon, and the Wise Men paid their homage too. Millions of us worship him still.

I want you to understand why Baby Jesus was born, Virginia. He came to show us how much God loves us and that he wants us to live with him forever.

Jesus grew up and became a man who loved everyone, helped all who would accept his help, and changed people’s lives. He was God among us, and I want you to believe on him and make him the center of your life.

This isn’t just another make-believe story. It really happened. Yes, Virginia, there really is a Baby Jesus!

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee (Luke 2:1-4 NLT).

Website: RubelShelly.com

Merry Christmas?

rshelly@rc.edu (Rubel Shelly) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0600

Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way ... (1 Peter 3:13-16 NIV).

I hope I'm not being overly sensitive. But I think window designers, greeting card companies, and media have fallen victim to what I hope is the unintentional diminishing of December 25 for people with backgrounds similar to my own.

Have you noticed that "Happy Holidays" seems to have replaced "Merry Christmas" as the standard greeting for this time of year?

There are some persons and groups who crusade against anything that carries even the slightest hint of God, religion, or faith. Thus you've read about the occasional music teacher who bans "Silent Night" or "Joy to the World" in favor of "Here Comes Suzy Snowflake" or "Walking in a Winter Wonderland."

Sometimes it is the decision of a school board to ban all religious music in favor of performances that are exclusively secular. And sometimes it is the real or threatened court action of the American Civil Liberties Union that undergirds the move to ban religious songs and symbols at this season of the year.

For the most part, however, I suspect the majority of people who celebrate Christmas – and that's about 96 percent of Americans – have simply embraced the shift in terminology without thinking. And no wonder! Washington now has a "Capitol Holiday Tree" instead of what used to be the "Capitol Christmas Tree." In our rush to political correctness, we can turn ourselves inside out. In trying to be so open-minded, we can let our brains roll out onto the floor.

The vast majority of us cultivate a spiritual life. Should Jews be barred from sharing the story, music, and joy of Hanukkah with their non-Jewish neighbors? Should Muslims be silenced about the meaning of Ramadan? So why should Christians be expected to re-brand Christmas as "Winter Fest"?

And it isn't only Christmas that gets voided in our culture. Maryland, for example, defended its Thanksgiving curriculum recently by explaining that holiday "from a purely historical perspective" and omitting all references to God and religion. The truth is, of course, that one cannot teach the historical facts about Thanksgiving and omit the Pilgrims' faith in and gratitude to God.

I don't use Christmas to bully or to offend my non-Christian neighbor. And my sense of Christian tolerance tells me to respect his alternate belief or unbelief as his right. But tolerance does not imply abandoning one's own faith and custom.

"Happy Holidays" is too bland. It falls flat for me. It misses the point of who I am and what I'm about. All that for the sake of telling you this: Merry Christmas!

Website: RubelShelly.com

Lists

rshelly@rc.edu (Rubel Shelly) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0600

I operate from daily to-do lists. Do you? Making out my list not only helps me remember the things ahead but to prioritize them. Deadlines are their most menacing when you've let them get so close that they smother you into inactivity.

The list I'm working on right now actually covers more than just today. There are some complex and interrelated issues that are going to take several days to unravel -- if they can be unraveled. So they are on the list in priority positions.

I try to keep each list reasonably short. As the number of items on my to-do list grows, the ability to manage my time effectively diminishes. Referring back to the list imposes discipline on my day and holds me to my tasks. "Planning is of no use at all," says Peter Drucker, "unless it eventually degenerates into work."

There are two other lists I keep as well. These aren't always written down in a notebook. Yet I carry them with me everywhere I go. And the strange thing is that each has the power to cancel out the other. One shrinks as the other grows.

My worry list tends to be composed of things that are beyond my power to control. So crisis events, others' demands on me, and things I'd like to bring under my control make this list. These are the things that distract me during the day and keep me awake at night. They seldom generate anything productive, for the idea that I can bring life under my personal control is only a delusion.

My prayer list is made up of the people, situations, and events I choose to surrender to God. These are the things I know I can't handle. They are too big and too important for me to try to force them to an outcome I can dictate.

See why they cancel out one another? Anything I've given over to God doesn't have to be fretted over. He's competent enough to handle it. So long as I am trying to bring things under my personal control, though, I run the risk of fighting not only the defiant realities around me but God's will for my life. The more praying I do, the less power worry has to interrupt my strength or sleep.

The Bible presents this challenge:

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7 NRSV).

The more items that get moved off your worry list onto your prayer list, the better off you'll be. God will graciously replace your anxiety with his peace.

Website: RubelShelly.com