Bullying, Faith, and a Right Perspective

[Reposted from a Previous Blog]

I recently read an article about a boy, Jamey Rodemeyer, age 14, who committed suicide because of bullying. This article focused on how the hate and bullying continued even after his death with things like ‘You’re better off dead!’ and ‘We’re glad you’re dead!’ being chanted at a homecoming dance.

The article then went on to completely disregard the issue at hand and therefore any useful solution. Unfortunately this whole tragic event, and others like it, is being categorized as a gay issue. Jamey Rodemeyer was a gay teenager, and the bullies saw him as easy prey and attacked. However, we do a grave disservice to this young man and what he endured when we allow this event to be hijacked by advocates of the homosexual lifestyle.

It is a fact of life that people who are in pain will cause pain to others.

Bullies are bullies because of the pain or anger or low self-esteem they suffer, not because of who they target. Whatever the root cause, by tearing down someone else, a bully makes themselves feel powerful and therefore better about their own situation, relieving their own pain, temporarily. Or, sometimes, they simply want to draw people's attention away from their failings by drawing attention to others. However, this 'fix' is like a drug, and it requires more pain inflicted on others to keep their own feelings at bay. As someone who was bullied fairly extensively throughout junior high and high school, I do have some experience with this issue.

This unfortunate individual may have been seen as a convenient target because he was gay and in their mind perceived to be weak, but he was bullied because the bullies were never taught to deal with their misguided pain and anger. The issue is not homosexuality, the issue is what causes bullies to become bullies.

I was targeted often because I was small, skinny, and often times socially awkward. These combined with a more passive nature screamed "easy target!" to any would-be bullies in the area. But there was not a hatred for skinny, awkward kids. The bullies themselves had friends who were comparatively skinny and awkward. I was just perceived as an easy target, an outlet for their own pain and anger at their own situation. I know this because when it became obvious that I would not cower and be intimidated and therefore was not as easy a target as they imagined, they usually moved on to easier prey.

I had non-christian acquaintances who would occasionally bash on Christians. When I would speak up they would say, "Oh, not you, you're cool." For whatever reason, they decided I was off the target list while others just like me were fair game to be picked on. The issue was not the religion. The issue was what relief they could get out of the act of tearing someone else down, and in their world, I wasn't a convenient target.

Bullies who target homosexuals are not a special breed of bully. Their act is no greater a misconduct because of who they chose to bully. The tragedy is that over the last decades we have been creating more and more of them and turning them loose on our kids.
I believe this increase is directly related to the fact that our culture is moving away from Christianity and the teachings of Jesus found in the bible. Think about it. What does Christianity teach about the individual?

We are all created in the likeness of God. (Genesis 1:26) A God fearing christian is less likely to lash out at those around him/her when they believe each person is uniquely created by God in His own likeness.

We are all sinners. (Romans 3:10) We are a screwed up, fallen, corrupt people. When you know the wicked desires and feelings inside you are not who you are meant to be, you are less likely to give in to them.

We are all loved. (John 3:16) If you genuinely believe that the creator of the universe loved someone else enough to sacrifice Jesus on a cross to pay for that person's sins, who are you to mistreat them? You realize that God loves them as much as He loves you. A person with that knowledge is less likely to purposely cause harm to a loved one of God.

Most importantly, when we know that our Heavenly Father loves us, and that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14) the pain and anger that drives bullying eases. The faults we try to hide no longer matter as much. The anger we feel at ourselves or at others fades. We don't need to hurt others to "feel better about ourselves" when we have the Holy Spirit telling us that we are loved by God.

Every wicked and corrupt thing in the world comes from the sinful nature within us that we are all born with, and only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross could pay the price for that sin. Christ paid the price for our sin through His death and overcame it through His Resurrection. We share in that life. (Romans 6:5-6)

Through that new life we can leave behind all the corruption that urges us to hurtful acts, such as bullying. The true issue at hand in any tragedy is the need for forgiveness and righteousness that can only come through Jesus Christ.

Repentance: Turn Around and Run!

I'm fairly prone to learning stuff just to know it. The practical applications don't always seem all that important. But what's the point of knowledge if it doesn't affect your life? But if I am honest, there are a lot of things I know that I do not always let move beyond knowledge into actions.

Repentance ... it's one of those words you typically only hear Christians use and maybe some other religious folks as well. When we use it, we use it in the sense of being sorry for what you did and not doing it any more. But it doesn't quite end there. The knowledge of what repentance is doesn't do me much good if I don't choose to implement it in my life.

The basic understanding of Christianity is easy ... we're sinners, we deserve a just punishment, we need God's grace, Jesus took our punishment for us, we can have that grace if we just have faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

But Faith = Trust, and Trust requires action.
I was sinning. My sin deserved justice. I'm forgiven. I'm going to not sin and instead try to be more like Christ taught me to be. Our actions don't gain the forgiveness, but our faith in that forgiveness should manifest in deeds which demonstrate trust.

But it is more than just not doing bad things. The term repentance carries with it a purposed action. A motion or momentum. You were heading towards selfishness and corruption. Now you have turned.... not sitting still, but headed towards righteousness. Pursuing God's will and Christ's teachings.

You don't just stop, and you don't just turn around. Considering what we have been saved from and what we have been saved to .. we should turn around, away from the selfishness and greed of sin and run with everything we've got towards God's holiness and loving-kindness.

Was Jesus Against Tax Cuts for the Wealthy?

Here we are addressing another issue on which Christians are supposedly hypocritical. (see article here ). As dealt with in that article, this is a list of supposed inconsistencies in Christians' position on issues where Jesus is claimed to have held a different position or never addressed.

 

The extent of Jesus' teaching on taxes is found in Matthew 22, Mark 12, and Luke 20. These three chapters include an account of the Pharisee's trying to trap Jesus by asking if the Jews should pay taxes to their oppressors, Rome. If He said, "Yes," He would be discredited in the eyes of the Jewish crowd. If He said, "No," He would be guilty of rebellion and could be arrested by the Romans who were certainly present as well.

 

Jesus sidesteps the issue by pointing out that it's already Rome's money (it has Caesar's picture on it), and He then gives the now famous words, "Give to Caesar what is Casar's and give to God what is God's."

 

Now there have been volumes of very well written books by very smart people on what exactly this is saying. I want to look at what He is NOT saying. Nowhere in these passages will you find Jesus addressing tax rates for any members of society. Should it be a flat rate or a progressive system? Should there be deductions? Should someone have to pay more because they make more, or because they got their money dishonestly or because their motivation was greed? What about rich people who inherited their wealth? What about people who worked hard and earned it through their labors and smart investing? What if they made a bunch but also gave a bunch away?

 

What if ... ?

What about ...?

Yeah, but ...

 

The issue of government, wealth and taxes is so complex that it would be ridiculous to try and water it down to a simple issue of "yes/no" on tax cuts for a certain segment of society. It's possible that there may be a situation where it would be warranted and another where it would be a bad thing to do.

 

Repeatedly Jesus' teaching are focused on the individual and THEIR attitude and relationship to God. He is not instituting a societal or political stance on issues. The main point is whether our motives are pride-filled or humble.

 

Many of these issues, I am discovering, are oversimplifications and loaded with emotional language to rouse the reader, but they do little to actually address the issue.

 

Was Jesus for or against tax cuts for the wealthy? He never addressed it. And a good rule of thumb is to be silent where Scripture is silent. And Scripture is silent on on this issue. In that case, individuals are free to use other reason and principles to inform their views on this particular topic.

 

Christians tend to be more politically conservative, and that view tends to want government less involved in people's lives and in social engineering through redistribution of wealth. To claim tax-cuts for wealthy is anti-Christian is as asinine as claiming the reverse, that wanting government to take people's money makes you anti-Christian.

 

Jesus simply did not address economic, governmental, or tax policy. He taught that “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). For some that may mean giving up wealth while for others it may mean giving up disdain for wealthy people. For one that might mean giving up looking to the government to solve problems. For another that might mean giving up the worldly freedoms that have become their idol.

 

We are as individual and unique as snowflakes. The issue we face is a pride-filled heart in rebellion against God. That pride will manifest differently for everyone. This issue, like many that divide us, can be reasonably held and argued on both sides by Christians who's faith and devotion to Christ are equally strong, with no inconsistency.

Was Christ Created?

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation" (Colossians 1:15).

Some say Colossians 1:15 means Jesus is not really God, but He is the first created thing. The way we address this issue with those who disagree with Christ being God, is the same way we conclude that He is God. We simply share our reasoning.

A useful rule is, “Never read a Bible verse.”¹ Read at least a paragraph. You need the context. You should also use other parts of the Bible to understand verses with multiple possible interpretations. If a verse seems unclear, is there another place where Scripture is clear on that issue? The broader context of this passage in Colossians 1 is not about Christ's origin but His nature and role.

You don’t need to look beyond verse 18 to see the same word used to say Christ is the "firstborn from the dead." That’s the second birth He was speaking of in John 3 with Nicodemus. If “firstborn” is figurative in verse 18, then why not in verse 15?  Now we have two possible interpretations. What other verses may help us decide which interpretation is best?

In John 1 Jesus, referred to as “The Word,” is said to be God. In John 10:30 He states, “I and the father are one.” In Romans 9:5, Jesus is referred to as, “the eternally blessed God.” Taking these verses into consideration (and there are many others clearly stating similar things), it seems most likely that the “firstborn” in verse 15 is not an actual "birth order" describing Jesus as the first created thing. Jesus is plainly taught in other places of the Bible to be the eternally existent God. Therefore, He could not have been a creation of God.

Also, some claim the idea of deity was a later addition to Christianity. According to Dr. William Lane Craig this is not the case. “The New Testament writers appropriated the word for God’s name (Yahweh) in the Old Testament as it appears in Greek translation in the Septuagint (kyrios = Lord) and called Jesus Lord, applying to him Old Testament proof-texts concerning Yahweh (e.g., Rom. 10.9, 13). Indeed, the confession “Jesus is Lord” was the central confession of the early church (I Cor. 12.3).”²

^{From the very earliest accounts Jesus claimed to be God, and His disciples claimed He was God. While someone may not accept that claim as true, it is an error to claim that the Bible teaches something different.}

1. Gregory Koukl, Never Read a Bible Verse, Stand to Reason Blog, accessed May 11^th, 2014. http://www.str.org/blog/never-read-a-bible-verse-2
2. William Lane Craig, A Formulation and Defense of the Doctrine of the Trinity, ReasonableFaith.org Article Archive, accessed May 12, 2014.http://www.reasonablefaith.org/a-formulation-and-defense-of-the-doctrine-of-the-trinity

Jesus Never Asked Lepers for a Co-Pay! (So Why Do We?)

That's an odd statement. It came from someone who seemed to be accusing Chrstians of not actually following Christ (see original article here). Apparently the one who who made the initial claim thinks that Christians who think people should pay something for the healthcare they receive are not very good Christians. That's what I can gather. It's a strange accusation that works because it is vague enough to not really mean anything but emotionally charged enough to incite passion.
 

Honestly I think it is a false comparison to measure Christian opinions of the medical system to Jesus doing miracles. The Creator of the universe who maintains everything simply by the power of His will (Colossians 1) can heal at will with ease. A human doctor requires application of skill, learning, and resources. All of this takes time and and is not without cost.
 

If the issue is whether or not a person should get free healthcare or because they already pay premiums they shouldn't need a co-pay, that is really a issue of practicality and economics. Sure, there are certainly some moral and principle issue that would relate to those questions, but I think we would find the major point Jesus might address would have more to do with the personal faith and attitude of the individuals involved (doctor, patient, and insuror) than with the technicalities of how the medical service is received and necessary costs are addressed.
 

I believe different Christians of equally devout faith could find various solutions to this particular problem, none of which would necessarily be sinful or "anti-Christian." But it is simply an error to claim there is some comparison between Jesus doing miracles and Christians holding a certain view on how the healthcare system should function. Those are two completely separate issues.
 

Was Jesus a Community-Organizer?

This is a very strange claim. Since the context was in a Facebook post that was a not too subtle attempt to point out hypocrisy of Christians holding positions that Jesus Himself didn't (read original post here), I am trying to figure out what anti-community organizer stance Christians have. To the best of my understanding, the role of a community organizer is to rally the community around a cause which may or may not actually be a current concern of the community.

While volumes could be said about the practices of community organizers, the question here is whether or not Jesus was one.

I really don't see the connection. While a loose parallel could possibly be drawn with the Church as a community, I'm not buying it. Jesus was not involved in, or interested during His ministry in, social or political activism. While He did a lot to help the poor and the sick and the outcast, He was not trying to create a social movement to solve those problems. If those things were of concern at all, He was teaching individuals how to care for one another in the face of those problems.

Primarily though, Jesus was proclaiming The Kingdom of Heaven and the need for sinners to repent. Any activism entailed would have been spiritual, not social. When asked about taxes, He basically blew it off as a non-issue (Matthew 22:15-22) and used it as a chance to turn people's minds toward God instead. When someone expressed dismay at an expensive perfume being poured on Jesus that could have been sold to help the poor, He claims that the woman's act of worship was a better thing (Mark 14:3-9). When asked by Pilate about His being a king, Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting" (John 18:36).

Jesus is not attempting to bring about social change by organizing movements and lobbying Rome. His cause is the changing of hearts and minds to reconcile sinful men to their righteous Creator.

"Fear and Faith"

I was honored to share a message with the folks at The Church at Tree Lake's "First Friday Sing", a monthly jam session where local musicians just come together to hang out and play some good ol' gospel music. They are gracious enough to allow me the pleasure of bringing a message before they kick of the festivities. It is always a joy to gather with my brothers and sisters in Christ for a joyous celebration of the new life He has granted us through His grace.

This month I shared some insights from a recent conversation I got caught up in on social media where a gentleman was insisting that all religion, especially Christianity, is based on a fear of death or the threat of Hell. Nothing could be further from the truth.