(18 votes, average: 4.72 out of 5)
Loading...As many of you know, one of the perqs of being a Platinum member of the blog is that at this level everyone is given the opportunity to make a post of their own, distributed only to Platinum members. For these posts, members can talk about nearly anything they want, so long as it is related to the blog and not grievously snarky. So far, we haven’t had a snark at all.
I post one of these a week, and then once a month, I choose one to post on the blog itself for all readers. Or rather, I have the Platinum members themselves vote on which one they think should go public This is our first one. It comes to us from Douglas Wadeson, a long time member of the blog and recently retired (lucky fellow) physician. The post came in two parts: here I will be giving only the first (I won’t be posting the second: the Platinums will be voting on a different set of posts next time.)
Feel free to comment as you would with any of my posts, and Doug will be able to respond.
If you very much like participating yourself at this level, check out the other perqs available to Platinum members, and give it think! Here now is Doug:
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In Dr. Ehrman’s Christmas blog post he ponders: “So this is what I don’t understand: why so many of the alleged followers of the Prince of Peace not only refuse to accept his teaching but by and large preach *against* it, standing precisely for what he stood against. It’s as if they haven’t read their Bibles. It’s all there – in Jesus’ teachings, in the Old Testament prophets, he based his message on, in the gospel proclaimed by his earliest followers. God is not on the side of the rich and powerful and eager to make it so all his people will be rich and powerful. God is on the side of the poor and powerless and anyone who wants to follow God needs to be on their side as well.”
I suspect most of us know what he means. We see “gospel” preachers living in wealth and encouraging their followers that God wants them to have similar prosperity. Lavish church buildings while down the street there are homeless people. Church-goers, many of them descended from poor immigrants, who now endorse building a border wall to keep poor immigrants out. Tax relief for the rich is praised while pay increases and other help for the working poor are derided as “socialism.” Here in the Bible Belt of the USA where Dr. Ehrman and I live, many states refuse to expand Medicaid to give the working poor better access to health care. (I have volunteered in a medical clinic for indigent patients and it is a myth that all poor and working people can get insurance, Medicaid or other government assistance.) These states also lead the nation in incarceration and death row executions despite the proclamation that their God is one of mercy and forgiveness. Many people here support more money for military actions overseas while criticizing money spent to help impoverished nations in other ways. You can probably cite additional examples from your own experiences.
It might seem confusing to those who read the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels and/or the books of the prophets in the Old Testament (the Bible that Jesus knew), and see passage after passage about the importance of caring for the poor and the disadvantaged, and condemning the heartlessness of those with wealth and power who either turn a blind eye to the needy or actually take advantage of them or sustain the system that keeps them disadvantaged. A few examples.
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’” Matthew 25:34-36
And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:23-24
“So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” Luke 14:33
And here is a passage from outside the Gospels in the epistle of James, but echoes the teachings of Jesus and the prophets, that I’ve never heard quoted at a political convention:
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted, and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.” (James 5:1-6)
I think part of the problem is that there is a difference between being a “Christian” and being a “disciple” of Jesus. I believe you can be one and not the other.
By definition, a “Christian” is one who believes in the “Christ.” Christ (Christos) is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word for Messiah, meaning the Anointed One. That is, the one chosen by God for a special purpose. Specifically, in the Christian religion, the Christ was the one anointed by God to die for the sins of the world and then be raised from the dead and exalted back to Heaven.[1] All who believe in this Christ and His redemptive act will be saved, i.e., have eternal life after death. The Gospel of John certainly says this in places, the most famous being John 3:16. The apostle Paul makes this the central point of the gospel he preached, as in 1 Corinthians 15:1-19.
Some churches (denominations) take this to the point that belief alone is all that is necessary to be saved, and in fact, your life actions are irrelevant. Years ago I attended the funeral service of a friend who had long ago left the church and came to a lonely end by suicide, but the preacher said to the family in the eulogy that if he had ‘ever’ named Jesus as his savior they could be assured that he would be in heaven. In other words, anything else in his life including his abandonment of Christianity did not matter if at some point he had believed. Perhaps he was just trying to comfort the family, but I believe this is the doctrine of a number of churches: once you publicly avow Jesus as your savior nothing can ever change that. In this extreme view of salvation completely separate from your life actions, one can see how easily the actual teachings of Jesus can get lost. Once you are “saved” the teachings become secondary, almost unnecessary. The point is, you are saved! You are children of the King! You are God’s royal family!
So if you want to enjoy God’s favor and blessings you just need to believe, too. There is even the “Prosperity Gospel” as it is called. “Name it, Claim it!” God is not waiting until Heaven to bless you; He wants to give you health and wealth now! Your poverty, or your illness, or your homelessness does not require anything of the Christians; you just need to believe and God’s blessings will follow. I wonder if part of the thinking is that if you are poor, or sick or otherwise distressed, it is because you are not a true believer, not a member of God’s royal family. Classic blaming the victim. And it certainly does not require anything of the church and its members; you just need to have faith. No need to question society’s structures or its laws or its governmental priorities; the only issue is believing and getting saved. Jesus died for you and your sins; the things He said during His ministry do not really matter today as long as you are saved and belong to that sacred society.[2] But then why did Jesus teach those things about the poor and the needy? Because he was preaching to Jews living under the Law of Moses; things changed after His death and resurrection and the church age began. The rules are different for Christians now. Or so the thinking goes.
In my next post, I will discuss the flip side: is it possible to be a “disciple” but not a Christian?
[1] In the Hebrew scriptures, the Messiah was not portrayed as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, but the sacrificed savior concept was molded by the early Christians as they came to believe Jesus had been raised from the dead by God and therefore must be the Messiah. Dr. Ehrman has discussed this if you search his posts about the Messiah.
[2] My personal response to such thinking would be Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who SAYS to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who DOES the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” The Epistle of James also argues that true faith is always reflected in the way you live your life, not just in your words.
Great job once again Douglas! I’m reading this on Saturday morning; I’d prepared my sermon for tomorrow earlier this week, and it deals with this very issue. Though the focus of the sermon is on what happens to those that don’t accept Christ in this life, I am dealing with the subject by showing biblically the folly of thinking a profession of Jesus Christ is a ticket to heaven. In addition to your excellent biblical references, what do you think of the parable of the seeds (Luke 8:5-12)? Note that three of the four soil types the seed falls on are portrayed as accepting the “Word of God” (i.e., the seed begins to grow), however there are those that are rocky, where the seed eventually whithers, and there are those who are weedy, whose fruit “never matures”.
Thank you. That parable suggests to me that belief is merely the starting point of the process, not the finish line. When Jesus said “the word of God” he wasn’t referring to the Bible, which hadn’t been compiled yet; I think he meant the message He was preaching: if you want to be in God’s kingdom, act like it!
Dr. Wadeson perfectly describes the trappings of a social construct into which all religions are guilty of evolving (devolving). As in the examples of super churches and the attainment of wealth by followers, we simply bend the teachings of Christ to meet our worldly desires. This is easy to do when no supernatural agent exists to correct our behavior and we make up the rules according to the popular opinions of those with whom we choose to associate – “fellowship”. In my parents’ religion, serving in the armed forces is against the pacifistic teachings of Jesus, but for centuries other self-proclaimed Christians have enlisted and fought in wars for him, praying for victory. All that is required is to place the responsibility on a higher power in order to avoid criticism of our beliefs. “Don’t blame me, I’m following the Word of God.” Of course when our scriptures are rife with contradictions and opposing viewpoints, it is a simple goal to achieve and we feel good about ourselves even to the point of rivalry with other Christians who have chosen different goals.
I agree that the Scriptures contain contrasting viewpoints, and we all tend to pick out the parts that resonate within us. In the second part of the post I ended with a plea for more discussion of the challenging teachings of Jesus among those of opposing viewpoints, but the current church system seems to divide us into separate camps that won’t talk to each other enough, and therefore can’t learn from each other, much like today’s politics.
Very good post. I agree with your analysis of discipleship versus belief. Today,as you stated,many think only belief in Christ is the requirement, although I have met many believers who practice sacrifice (discipleship) more often than others. They see Jesus in everything they do and give up plenty of personal gain to stay on the narrow path. A “Bonhoeffer” type quality who goes beyond human endeavour. *Surrendering* your will to God’s will, is a difficult,if not impossible, task to stay the course, requires much discipline. My question would then be. Do you find that so many leave churches or belief systems today because the required sacrifice/discipleship is too much for them to attain/follow ? The very thing that sent D.L. Moody on a mission, that the world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to him.
I’m not sure the problem is that the demand is too much, but rather that the direction they are being asked to go seems wrong. Like supporting systems that divide people into “saved” and “lost” based on certain rules, some of which seem to arbitrarily exclude good people. I think many young people are working hard at various secular or humanist causes because they care about people and “church” to them is about exclusion rather than love.
This post is wonderful & speaks to my heart, especially in our present time. Over the past year, I have been searching for truth in many areas. Somehow, history became where I felt the facts lived & still mattered. That is why I enjoy Dr. Ehrman’s teaching so much.
At my core, which is rooted in my faith, I believe that we are to love our neighbors, give of our time & resources to those who need, and show outwardly the peace and forgiveness we are shown by God. Where my struggle came was watching so many around me, claim to be Christian, have the same Bible, share my belief system, & outwardly show a very different set of “values.” Maybe they could be Christians & not Disciples of Christ, but I have really struggled seeing behaviors that are incongruent with basic human kindness from the church. Shouldn’t basic beliefs need to be shared within a religious group? This is where I am left to wonder if it’s me that’s changing or if the church has turned away from what Jesus expected of His followers.
I really enjoyed your thoughts and examples, Dr. Wadeson.
My vote is 5 stars ⭐️, but somehow the last star didn’t fill all the way & the blog won’t let me correct it.
I gave up the label of Christian years ago and a lot of the theological baggage that came with it. I am now under the impression that Jesus was more about Love in Action than Love as a belief system. We got so messed up by the works vs grace ultimatum… when maybe grace is woven into our Love in action. One doesn’t need labels for Love in Action. I think of what I read in the stories and if there is any accuracy to any of the stories… that Jesus was about Love in Action. I still have little confidence in the authenticity of most of what was written, but I love a good story… and for me the story doesn’t have to factual or historical now to be a conduit of wisdom and just a good way to live life. There are so many of those stories in the gospels that it is hard not to say they have value… just based on the wisdom of Love in Action.
Likewise I question how many of the stories and sayings truly go back to Jesus, but they are still worthwhile. As a doctor I question the healing miracles, but I still like to envision Jesus reaching out in compassion and touching a leper, or see him sitting and talking with a man others considered demon-possessed who may have been suffering from the isolation of mental illness. And the teachings: wow, you mean I should pick up some guy alongside the road and pay for his care until he is better?! That is challenging. And worth talking about, regardless of your religious beliefs or unbelief.
Sumptuous unfair progress, greed, materiality, coldness, heartlessness and often at the expense of others are to me at best what some call “number of a man.” Is this, we as humans, the pinnacle of our achievements, or our contribution to making this world a moral reality? In my mind, these conditions which you point at in fact present us humans in a terrible light. Was this what we were capable to create? Isn’t this really a complete lack of an awareness of the essence of God, and isn’t the whole law “to love the Lord your God with all your mind, your body, your soul; your neighbor as yourself” .
Perhaps the good old wisdom should be applied ,,, a wisdom to be able to “count” this «number of a man» as they call it, a wisdom that lifts us above such conditions where greed heartlessness and fear are integral parts.
Giving everything to the poor means everyone will be dumpster diving. The only difference will be that the dumpster is now empty. Speaking of Christian mercy. What about the couple Peter had murdered and their bodies burned outside at the door–apparently as a message to all. I commend your commitment to the needy, you are using this platform for you own agenda. My father was a first generation American and my mother a second generation. Neither of them had the chance to attend high school, but I did. And my children finished University. And no one has ever been on a government handout. I just cannot see how anyone could asked, after generations that we should give it all away. The little we have God gave us to Shepard’s not to throw to the pigs.
I think Jesus used hyperbole in his teaching to drive home his point, like caring more about people than possessions, but there have been those who took him quite literally with vows of poverty. In the 2nd part of the post I urged those on both sides to discuss such teachings and what they might mean for individuals and society.
I am surprised by Christians who judge other Christians (that seems like a log/splinter moment). Who are we to point to other followers and say they aren’t interpreting the Scripture correctly .. does that sound..err.. like the Pharisees?
If Jesus were here today, we have no idea what he would think about the specifics of an immigration policy. Anyone who wants in? Only bonafide poor people? My read of the NT was that JC was a spiritual leader and not competing with the Romans for political power to do good.
Here’s a link to a Black evangelical pastor in North Carolina. https://forward.com/opinion/458387/im-a-black-pastor-in-a-multiracial-church-in-north-carolina-heres-what-ive/
“Throughout Scripture, we see believers with disagreements negotiating those differences in good faith. It’s a strong reminder for Democrats and Republicans …
” We as the church have to ensure we lead these efforts for a more equal, unified America from a place of prayer and the word of God. But our mission of unity in the church is bigger than us. We have an opportunity as the church to set the example of how we should love, respect and even honor those who may disagree with us. That’s what the Gospel is all about.”
In the 2nd part of the post I urged both sides (not that there’s exactly 2 sides!) to discuss these issues. In religion and politics there is too much polarization and not enough listening and learning.
OK, guess I’ll have to sign up for Platinum!
You could do worse….
I think this is a one-sided argument. There are a lot of good Christians as well.
That’s one of the points I made in the 2nd part of the post. Christian and disciple aren’t mutually exclusive. But that post is only on the Platinum level. Sorry!
Jesus spoke primarily about how individuals should behave, not about what governments should do and what their tax policies should be. Sincere followers of Jesus may legitimately want to keep more of the money they have earned, so that they can give it to people and organizations they support, rather than having the government decide how to spend it.