This past weekend, I finally got to watch The Ledge - the movie that has made the rounds as an “atheist movie.”

Wow.

It’s taken a few days to process everything, but my general opinion is that every person in this country needs to watch this movie.

Honestly, parts of it were pretty uncomfortable for me to watch. Joe, the Christian antagonist, sounded exactly like me at certain points in my life. I do think his character was a little over caricatured as a whole, but it was really eye-opening to hear those words and see what they sound like from the other side. It was disconcerting. It was a little embarrassing.

 
I may have had a little more passion in my eyes when I spewed those words, but I have argued those points many many times in my life.

Now, I see things the way Gavin does. And seeing my old self through those eyes isn’t really pleasant.

The movie isn’t atheist propaganda. Its purpose isn’t to plant atheistic ideas in your head (though if it makes you stop and think, all the better). The tag line of the movie is “What would you die for?” and Gavin is telling his story while standing on the ledge of a very tall building.

People think that just because we don’t have a god in our life that we can’t have meaning in our lives. That we can’t live or love. That we have no convictions or morals. That there is nothing that we believe in enough to die for.

This movie intends to change those perceptions. And I think it does so wonderfully.

Wow.

It was interesting. I’d written a lot of stuff I’d forgotten about. Was reminded of a few things that made me cry. But it was all my journey. All of it is part of who I am. And the reason I went through it all was so I could put together a new page for people. A page that explains who I was and who I am.

Face the Strange will take you through my journey from faith to agnosticism.

It’s funny. When I started writing that page, I was all gung-ho about how liberated and free I feel. And then I read all of those posts and felt the pang of missed familiarity. The pang of regret. The pang of sorrow.

It’s not the faith I miss. It’s who I was. The people I once had in my life.

But maybe I do miss the faith just a little bit. The certainty of knowing why you exist and what you’re going to do.

But likely, it’s just a small case of “homesickness.”

Face the Strange is my story. It’s how I became who I am today.

Enjoy.

For thousands of years followers of Jesus, like artists, have understood that we have to keep going, exploring what it means to live in harmony with God and each other. The Christian faith tradition is filled with change and growth and transformation. Jesus took part in this process by calling people to rethink faith and the Bible and hope and love and everything else, and by inviting them into the endless process of working out how to live as God created us to live.

The challenge for Christians then is to live with great passion and conviction, remaining open and flexible, awayre that this life is not the last painting.

Times change. God doesn’t, but times do. We learn and grow, and the world around us shifts, and the Christian faith is alive only when it is listening, morphing, innovating, letting go of whatever has gotten in the way of Jesus and embracing whatever will help us be more and more the people God wants us to be.

Sounds kind of familiar doesn’t it? Of course, Rob writes far more eloquently than I, but he’s described exactly what I’ve been looking for.

We must keep reforming the way the Christian faith is defined, lived, and explained.

The problem isn’t Jesus; the problem is what comes with Jesus.

For many people the word Christian conjures up all sorts of images that have nothing to do with who Jesus is and how he taught us to live. This must change.

[...]

I’m part of a communitry, a movement of people who have been living, exploring, discussing, sharing, and experiencing new understandings of Christian faith.

And we love it. We are alive in ways we never thought possible. We are caught up in something we gladly give our lives to. This is the plce that I write from: a place of joy and freedom, as a member of a community wanting to invite others to come along on the journey. We are just getting started. I have as many questions as answers, and I’m convinced that we’re only scratching the surface. What I do know is that this pursuit of Jesus is leading us backward as much as forward.

If it is true, then it isn’t new.

Yes! That’s what I want. To follow Jesus, not the man made religion that Christianity has become.

I’m convinced being generous is a better way to live.

I’m convinced forgiving people and not carrying around bitterness is a better way to live.

I’m convinced having compassion is a better way to live.

I’m convinced pursuing peace in every situation is a better way to live.

I’m convinced listening to the wisdom of others is a better way to live.

I’m convinced being honest with people is a better way to live.

What are you convinced of? Rob uses this incredible metaphor of trampolines and brick walls to describe how faith should be versus how it often is.

When we jump, we begin to see the need for springs. The springs help make sense of these deeper realities that drive how we live every day. The springs aren’t God. The springs aren’t Jesus. The springs are statements and beliefs about our faith that help give words to the depth that we are experiencing in our jumping. I would call these the doctrines of the Christian faith.

[...]

Somebody recently gave me a videotpe of a lecture given by a man who traveled around speaking about the creation of the world. At one point in his lecture, he said if you deny that God created the world in six literal twenty-four hour days, then you are denying that Jesus ever died on the cross. It’s a bizarre leap of logic to make, I would say.

But he was serious.

It his me while I was watching that for him faith isn’t a trampoline; it’s a wall of bricks. Each of the core doctrines for him is like an individual brick that stacks on top of the others. If you pull one out, the whole wall starts to crumble. It appears quite strong and rigid, but if you begin to rethink or discuss even on brick, the whole thing is in danger.

[...]

Often it appears as though you have to agree with all of the bricks exactly as they are or you can’t join.

[...]

I can jump and still have questions.

A Christian doesn’t avoid the questions; a Christian embraces them. In fact, to truly pursue the living God, we have to see the need for questions.

Questions are not scary.

What is scary is when people don’t have any.

What is tragic is faith that has no room for them.

And then there’s the really obvious observation:

A trampoline only works if you take your feet off the firm, stable ground and jump into the air and let the trampoline propel you upward. Talking about trampolines isn’t jumping; it’s talking. Two vastly different things. And so we jump and we invite others to jump with us, to live the way of Jesus and see what happens. You don’t have to know anything about the springs to pursue living “the way”.

In brickworld, the focus often becomes getting people to believe the right things so they can be “in”. There is often a list of however many doctrines, and the goal is to get people to intellectually assent to these things being true. Once we believe the right things, then we’re in. And once we’re in, the goal often becomes learning how to get others in with us. I know this is harsh, but in many settings it is true. It is possible in these settings to be in, and to believe all of the correct things, and even to be effective at getting others in, and yet our hearts can remain unaffected. It’s possible to believe all the right things and be miserable. It’s possible to believe all the right doctrines and not live as Jesus teaches us to live. This is why I am so passionate about the trampoline. I want to invite people to actually live this way so the life Jesus offers gradually becomes their life. It becomes less and less about talking, and more and more about the experience we are actually having.

I know that was a lot of quoting. But Rob says it so much better than I ever could so I wanted you to read his words. I want that way of life. I want that kind of passion for life. I don’t want to be a follower of “brickianity” anymore.

“It occurred to me one day that though I often worry about whether or not I sense the presence of God I give little thought to whether God senses the presence of me.” 
Philip Yancy in Prayer – Does it Make Any Difference?

In reflecting on that statement, Jeanie wrote:

What sweet invitation.  I was somehow thinking that the pursuit of His Presence was elusive at times.  Why, I wondered, am I so aware of Your Presence sometimes and at other times I am wondering where You are?  Maybe because while I was desiring to be in that place of peace and joy, I wasn’t really “there.”  Maybe it has been me missing from those uncomfortable void times?

What an uncomfortable thought. No one wants to think that a soured relationship has gone that way because of something I did. It’s always the other person’s fault.

But what if it isn’t?

I didn’t watch the whole thing (Matt’s got the youtube links), because I got very frustrated very early in. I didn’t even see the atheist responses. I got frustrated with Ray, who was preaching, and Kirk, who gave his testimony as “proof.”

Don’t get me wrong. I think what both of them had to say was worth hearing–just not in the context that they were in. They told everyone that they could scientifically prove the existence of God apart from faith, and then spoke of faith and feelings.

I think they deliberately mislead people in order to get a large audience to get their message heard.

Perhaps that’s harsh, but that’s what it seemed like from watching them. I will, however, agree with Matt’s closing statements:

I have a feeling it will strengthen the beliefs on both sides. I hope that people will listen to the petition of Comfort: just open your heart up a bit and honestly and earnestly search for God (a rough paraphrase). I don’t think the two sides were represented very well. No offense to Comfort and Cameron, but they aren’t scientists and couldn’t hope to actually scientifically prove God’s existence. Brian and Kelly (who didn’t want to give out their last names… I don’t really understand that) of The Rational Response Squad are also poor choices. Quite frankly “Rational” is somewhat of a misnomer in my opinion. Kelly was extremely condescending and Brian didn’t really listen I don’t think. The be blunt, they were asses. I think there are a number of atheists that could have been chosen to debate that would have been more eloquent and knowledgeable. Just poor choices all around. But I have a feeling that “legitimate” (I know it is somewhat dangerous to throw that word around) scientists on both sides wouldn’t bother to debate this. That being said, overall, I wasn’t completely disappointed in Comfort and Cameron. I really was quite worried initially about what they would say. And while I think they did say some silly things that I don’t agree with and could have hurt the “cause” they did ok.

“…you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

These verses are, of course, talking about spiritual maturity. I just had to laugh because of what I posted yesterday. This is a reoccurring theme in my life right now. Evidently, I’m pretty far from being spiritually mature, and God is trying to get my attention.

I don’t like it.

But then, who likes correction? The main thing is that regardless of how I feel, I need to just do it. I’ve heard the truth. I know what I should be doing and how I should be acting. But there’s a world of difference between knowing and doing. And James is clear:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well, keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder.”

If I believe, but do nothing about it, and don’t seek to change my life to be like Christ, then I am no better than the demons.

Another verse I read this morning was a swift kick in the pants:

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

The way the word “religious” is taken today, no I don’t consider myself religious. But in this biblical context, I do. This verse describes me pretty well. And there are a couple of different interpretations to this verse, and sadly, they all apply to me. 

“Does not keep a tight rein on his tongue…” That could be talking about gossip/slander. I’m guilty of that. I actually had to (I wasn’t forced to, I felt the need to do this) apologize to one of the elders at my church because I was complaining about something he did to another church member, when I should have gone directly to him. I’ve often been guilty of gossip. The funny thing is that I often get annoyed at others who gossip. My office at work is across from the copier. And the copier is often used as the “water cooler” where people get together and gossip. It drives me nuts! But then I turn around and gossip too.

It could be referring to being humble rather than spouting off about your “religion” and how devout you are and such. Humble is not a word I would use to describe me. People will often tell me I’m wise and tell me that I’m this incredible Christian woman – and I eat it up. I love it. It validates me. It tells me that I must be somebody worth being because people come to me. That’s pretty prideful – the direct opposite of humility.

Either way, they both end up meaning that my religion is worthless. And that stinks.

Luckily, the Bible also says:

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentence. 2 Peter 3:9

and:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purigy us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Hallelujah!

Trackposted to Pirate’s Cove, third world county, Conservative Cat, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

• Rescue 101 – My commitment to Jesus…
  Jesus came, “To Save what was Lost.” – Luke 19:10
  “Whoever enters through Me (Jesus) will be Saved.” – John 10:9
• Connect 201 – My commitment to my local church family…
  “Love one another…As I have loved you.” – John 13:34
  “They devoted themselves…to the Fellowship.” – Acts 2:42
• Grow 301 – My commitment to grow…
  “Teaching them to Obey everything…” – Matt. 28:20
  “Walk as Jesus did.” – John 2:6
• Serve 401 – My commitment to serve…
  “Not…to be served, but to Serve…” – Matt. 10:28
  “To prepare God’s people for works of service…” – Eph. 4:12
• Reach 501 – My commitment to reach others with Jesus…
  “Go and make disciples…” – Matt. 28:19
  “I will make you fishers of men.” – Matt. 4:19

Last night we went through Grow 301, and I walked away realizing that I’m not where I need to be. It’s so easy for me to walk around thinking that I’m an uber-Christian because I’ve got all these verses memorized and I know the right answers and what you’re supposed to do. The problem is that I often don’t do it.

Oh, I’m a “good” person – by worldly standards. But often, my attitude is so far removed from being godly that I’m surprised the lighting hasn’t struck yet.

I’ve written before on Spiritual Maturity, so you would think that I would be closer to losing the immaturity that plagues me. But I’m not. If Spiritual Maturity is being like Christ, then I have a long long long way to go.

There are seven habits of a disciple (someone who is a learner, student, a follower of Jesus):

1. Worship: Living each moment of life in a way to please God, not self or others.
2. Daily Time with God: Daily time alone with God
3. Bible: Reading and listening to what God is saying to you.
4. Prayer: Talking to God.
5. Giving: Giving back to God my first and best.
6. Fellowship: Spending time with and enjoying God’s family.
7. Serving: Doing my part to serve Jesus and others.

I was appalled and ashamed to realize that of those seven habits, I consistently practice only one. I feel hypocritical owning a blog called Imago Dei (Image of God) when I’m so clearly not living as an image of God.

Oh sure, plenty of people think that I’m this great godly woman because I have half a Bible in my brain, I go to church, I attend two small groups, and I work for a Christian organization. But it doesn’t matter what people think. The reality is that all that matters is what God thinks. And I fall woefully short.

This is a public declaration of my commitment to grow more like Christ in my words, thoughts, and actions.

Once we, as humans, begin to tamper with what God says is true and good, we launch ourselves down a slippery slope that will necessarily lead to greater and grander error. Only when we have rejected God’s truth do we need to fight about and wrestle with issues such as whether a baby killed inside its mother is morally and ethically equal to the murder of a baby outside of its mother’s body. Only when we turn from God’s truth do we need to wonder if a man who used to be a woman is really now a woman or a man. When God’s Word is held out as the standard, these questions immediately dissolve in the light of its certainty.

Read the whole article for some pretty extreme examples.

It’s disgusting. Over the top. And it’s the evangelical response to the bill coming before the Senate to enforce severe punishment for “hate crimes.”

Except… the bill doesn’t really enforce punishment for all “hate crimes,” or does it?

From Harry Jackson:

This legislation will grant protected status to “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.” Further, it will mandate unequal protection under the law and will pave the way for the criminalization of thoughts and religious beliefs contrary to “politically correct” ideas.

As an African American, I have long questioned the attempts of the gay community to piggy back on the legislative breakthroughs blacks have achieved in civil rights. As I think about hate crime legislation in the past, I think about a judicial system that refused to give blacks equal justice under the law. The historic problem for blacks was that racist groups conspired with law enforcement groups. Additional legislation would have never been necessary if the existing laws of the land had been enforced fairly.

In contrast, gays already are a formidable force in the legal arena and courts are often extremely deferential to their cases. Additional protection for gays is not necessary. This legislation will not just over-protect them, it will bring the threat of invasive, governmental interference with the doctrines and practice of the Church. We have faced the removal of crosses and commandments from every public facility; this same pressure could be felt within the four walls of the church.

Religious liberty battles have most recently been championed by white evangelical groups. It’s important at this juncture that all Americans lift their voices concerning this legislation. This week I am calling a press conference which will involve some of the nation’s most influential black religious leaders. The proponents of this bill have assumed that black religious leaders will not catch on to the long term implications of the legislation. Without a massive public outcry, this act may be put into force within a few weeks.

My alarm about the hate crimes bill is bigger than my concerns about the gay movement. The question we must ask ourselves is this, “Do we want an America in which no one can express their true religious views”? Isn’t freedom of speech a major value of our nation?

Some gays chant, “Stay out of our bedrooms!” Pro-abortion advocates say, “Keep your hands off my reproductive organs!” Evangelicals can rightfully say, “Stay out of my pulpit!”

My personal thought?

Why is everyone focusing solely on the “homosexual” agenda here? The bill is not primarily targeting hate crimes against homosexuals. It’s specific that the “hate crime” includes “violence motivated by the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim.” That’s more than just homosexuality. Hey look! Religion is listed, too!

There is no grand conspiracy to lock away pastors and Christians for teaching the Bible. People who are taking this as a “surreptitious attempt by the Congress and Senate to strip the nation of religious freedom and the ability to preach the gospel from our church pulpits” are, in my opinion, too concerned for themselves. They see anything that mentions homosexuality (sexual orientation/gender identity) as a threat to them and automatically assume that there’s a conspiracy to end Christianity and have the gays rule the world.

I don’t think I’m overstating it. There’s been a flurry of activity on evangelical sites, all urging America not to support this bill. Why? Because they’re afraid they’re going to lose power.

Well boo hoo. I’m a Christian. An evangelical, even. But I can’t support all of this anti-gay stuff going on in the evangelical community.

Yes, I agree with the biblical teaching that homosexuality is wrong. BUT, I also agree and adhere to the biblical teachings of love. I recognize that God loves ALL people (that includes the GLBT community) and as such, so should I. That concept has been lost by the Christian community at large.

It may not be the most Christlike thing for me to say, but the man drives me nuts. I believe his heart and desire for God are absolutely sincere, but have you seen this? How can you take this man seriously after that?

Now he’s going to debate God’s existence with the founders of The Blasphemy Challenge website. (HT: Matt)

I encourage you to read what Matt says about this debate. Here’s a sample:

If God could have been proven, Jesus probably would have done that, and if not Jesus, the disciples or the early church. If God was able to be proven without a doubt, it removes our ability to choose. God wants us to accept His gift of salvation freely, if it was known to be a fact that He was there, we lose our freedom because He is the only option. The Bible never speaks of the necessity of proof, it speaks of the actions and the faith of God’s followers. Now, as suggested in the previous paragraph, I want to make it extremely clear that I don’t think this is a blind faith. There is plenty of reason behind faith, but it is faith none the less. And moreover, the Bible speaks of faith in a positive light and not something that we should be sad about “only” having; I don’t need certitude to be convinced (and any scientist should be completely on board with that because how often is something entirely certain?). Faith and reason are not mutually exclusive.

He also touches on the website previously mentioned, and wonders what the merits of this kind of debate are. In all honesty, I think this is going to end up as one more thing that atheists can use to laugh at theists. It will be entertaining, for sure, but I think it may do more harm than good.

But we’ll see.